


My Famine and My Feast

by Salazar101



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Sex, Incubus Dorian, M/M, Oral Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-18
Updated: 2016-02-10
Packaged: 2018-05-02 05:26:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 60,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5235923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Salazar101/pseuds/Salazar101
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Iron Bull has been horny before, but never horny enough to summon anything. Until a beautiful man with horns and a pair of cloven hooves drops into his bedroom. Dorian asks for nothing more than sex... but soon they're spending more time together, and Bull begins to learn what it takes to warp a man into a demon. Then what it takes to get him back again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My NaNo project! Will update once a week until I run out of buffer or the fic ends. Comments much appreciated! Much thanks to my beta Ezno and Rockgaara who is actually collabing with me and will produce some great art for this fic!!

**Teasing sweat with tongue  
from forrowed brow  
as you cry for release,  
your bonds unseen  
yet bind you still  
as I give you no peace.  
Tongue lips well practiced mouth  
cause pleasure  
close to pain,  
and teeth join in  
to graze the skin  
as I taste of you again.  
Subserviant my willing slave  
my famine  
and my feast,  
I hunger still  
and always will  
for beauty for my beast.  
Now bend and break  
taste of my ache  
my poison and my shame,  
now buck and writhe  
and feel alive  
as I leave from where you came.**

**-[DieingEmbers](http://hellopoetry.com/poem/181144/the-incubus-sensual/)**

 

**~*~**

 

**Chapter 1**

 

The din of the bar washed over Bull, familiar and comfortable. He had a cigarette in one hand, adding to the smoke already circling the ceiling, and his other hand was resting against the lower back of the gorgeous, redheaded dwarf woman squirming eagerly in his lap. She had a face covered in freckles which The Iron Bull was doing his best to cover equally in kisses. If anyone wanted to complain about the public display of affection, they obviously didn't want to do so to someone who stood over seven feet and had horns as broad as his shoulders.

Bull pushed his barely smoked cigarette into a nearby ashtray, deciding he could do something better with his other hand. “Hey, what do you say to getting out of here?” he said huskily, bouncing her in his lap so she could feel the size of his erection through his pants.

“Ummm, I was actually thinking of not going home with anyone tonight,” she said, though she flushed to feel his cock rub against her.

“Hey, that's alright,” said Bull warmly. He knew how he came off to people, like the big scary Qunari. Usually he encouraged that impression, but not with his sexual partners. Bull wanted people to always feel comfortable saying 'no' around him. The Iron Bull didn't want it if they didn't. The dwarf smiled brightly, her eyes crinkling charmingly in the corners.

“Thanks for being understanding, I'm trying this whole...” she waved her hand, leaning against Iron Bull's chest as she searched for the word, “...healthy...living thing. I dunno, my therapist says I should cut down on one night stands.”

“Whatever makes you feel good,” said Bull lightly, sort of wishing he hadn't put out his cigarette.

She leaned up, cupping his stubbled cheeks to press a sweet kiss against his lips, “You're the best. Maybe I'll see you around some time.”

“I hope so,” said Bull honestly. She was cute and funny...and a redhead. His weakness.

She slid off his lap with a little help from his arm, giving him a cheery wave before she disappeared into the crowd. Iron Bull sighed, pulling his pack of cigarettes out of his back pocket to light a new one. He was still horny as fuck, and everyone else in this bar was too damn drunk to take home. Bull smoked and drank until his erection faded, then paid his tab and considered the rest of the night a wash. Might as well go to bed, he had to get up early to meet his Chargers at their new contract. Building a brand new roof for some University nearby. It was hard work, but honest, and he had a good team of reliable people.

The Iron Bull flagged down a taxi, watching streetlights flash by as he was driven back home by a sullen elf. He was painfully horny, it had been weeks since he'd taken someone to bed and had a good hard fuck. It was so bad he almost asked the taxi driver if he wanted to come inside with him and have a good time. Hmm, better not. Bull tipped generously with his payment but the elf only grunted at him before driving off. That guy wouldn't be any fun in bed anyway.

His house was more of a cottage than anything else, surrounded by a chaotic but well maintained garden filled to the brim with flowers that made his walkway to the front door look like it was straight out of a fairytale. During the winter its charm was replaced with a spooky abandoned atmosphere that honestly, Iron Bull dug just as much. The cottage itself was exceptionally well maintained, the paint always looked fresh and the trim was never flaking or falling off. Bull fumbled for his keys briefly, wondering if he should pull out some of the toys tonight or just jerk off and get it over with.

He entered the house, throwing his keys into a glass bowl in the entrance hall with a clatter that filled the silent home. Iron Bull yawned, wandering through the dark house without having to turn on a single light. From the front door he padded down a hallway, to his right was the living room and to his left the kitchen. Up the stairs he walked past a guest bedroom and bathroom to reach his room. His bedroom was pitch black, but he navigated it without thought as he stripped naked and crawled over the dawnstone pink covers. Some other night perhaps he'd grab all the fun toys and make a night of it, but he had a lot of work tomorrow and perhaps it was just best to get it over with and go to bed.

Bull pictured the pretty redheaded dwarf from the bar. Pictured her mouth, so pert and perfect, wrapped around his flesh. His cock stirred easily to life, hardening quickly between his legs. Iron Bull's fingers were warm as he wrapped them around his flesh, sighing as he began to stroke. It was such a shame to only have his hand for weeks on end. Iron Bull loved to please someone else, to take his pleasure between taking care of theirs. He would have spread the redhead wide, let his tongue fuck her until she was begging for more.

He moaned, squeezing the base of his cock as heat trailed up his spine. Iron Bull always kept his house warm, but sweat was gathering on his brow as the air seemed to heat around him. He twisted, lust spiking and dreams of the dwarf woman shredding around him. Something... had changed. Iron Bull forced his eyes open with a gasp, hand stroking sloppily along his cock, foreskin closer and pulling around the leaking head. The room had been dark earlier, but now a golden light suffused him.

Iron Bull wrenched his hand away from his cock, feeling as if he was moving through molasses.

“Don't stop,” said a voice with a thick 'Vint accent, as warm as freshly melted butter, as smooth as dark chocolate.

“F-fuck!” Iron Bull scrambled back against the headboard, finally seeing what had entered his bedroom.

A man floated a couple inches off the ground, a glowing golden halo of light surrounding him. He was no angel, assuming Bull believed in such a thing. No... but he was beautiful. Unnaturally beautiful. His skin was dark and smooth and hairless, muscles obvious but not overwhelming. He had a pair of little black horns, poking up while surrounded by perfectly styled black hair. His eyes glowed just as gold as the light around him, a tail waved lazily back and forth behind him, and when Bull's eye slid down he saw that at the man's knees he was covered in a coarse black fur and ended in cloven hooves.

[(By Rockgaara)](http://rockgaara.tumblr.com/)

The light was fading by increments, and Bull watched the demon, for that was what he was, float to the floor, cloven hooves spreading as his weight settled upon them. Before it could fade completely, Iron Bull fumbled with his light, turning it on just before he could be left in the dark with this... this gorgeous monster!

“Get the fuck out of here!” he snarled, hands curling into aggressive fists, “if you want to possess me you'll have to fight me!” Bull grabbed a glass paperweight off his bedside table and tossed it as hard as possible right at the demon's pretty face.

“I- HEY! HEY!” The demon jerked to the side, glass orb flying an inch past his pierced pointed ear to smash into a thousand pieces just behind him. “ _Vehendis_ , what is wrong with you?!”

The Iron Bull paused, his Tama had told him all about demons... and something here didn't add up. If he had to guess, this was a Desire Demon, but he looked nothing like the Desire Demons he had once fought while on Seheron. It didn't matter, demons could take many forms. Bull jerked to his knees, wishing he had his hunting blade but knowing he could probably get past the demon and out the door if he moved quickly.

“ _Still_!” the demon boomed, holding up two fingers and making a complicated twisting motion with his hand and arm. The sigil he formed burned in the air and Iron Bull felt himself pushed onto his back and held there by an invisible force.

Was this to be the way he died? Naked and tied to his bed? Normally he'd be alright with that but...

“I'm not here to hurt you!” snapped the demon, taking a few steps closer to the bed to give Bull an irritated glare.

“Oh? Just possess me?” said Bull gruffly, muscles bulging as he strained against the force holding him down.

“I... _of course not_! Why would I ever want to possess some oxman?” the demon sniffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “I sensed your sexual energy. I'm not a _true_ demon, I can tell that's what you think. I'm an Incubus. I feed on the sexual energy of my partners.”

“You don't fool me, Desire Demon!” Iron Bull let out a grunt before falling limp, no matter how hard he fought the spell never released him. “Is that how you possess me? Raping me then taking my body!?”

The demon's mouth fell open, golden eyes going wide as if he were...horrified. That couldn't be right. “I would... I would never! _You_ called _me_!” The demon let out a slow breath, shoulders slumping. “I... I've made a mistake. Forgive me, ox. I didn't come here to...force you. You were wanton, you desired a partner. I was hungry and figured we could help each other.”

To Iron Bull's shock, the demon snapped his fingers and the spell released him. “What are you doing?” he asked suspiciously, but made no move to attack the demon that now stood right at the side of his bed.

“If you change your mind, please... summon me. Call my name,” said the demon, looking oddly dejected. Iron Bull's desire to help misfits flared, his arms itching to reach out to the demon, despite knowing this was probably all some sort of horrible trick.

“What's your name?” asked Bull, watching as that golden glow once more suffused the demon's form. He was disappearing, fading from view as Bull watched in shock.

“Dorian Pavus.” The words echoed out of a golden light, and then in a flash Iron Bull was left alone in a dark room.

Fuck. He needed answers. He needed a mage.

“I'm not a mage!” Dalish crossed her arms over her chest, scowling up at Bull as if he'd just gravely insulted her. “If I were a mage, then I'd be an apostate, which I'm not, because I'm not a mage!”

“Yeah, she's not a mage,” Skinner snickered, “and that isn't a staff it's a crowbar with a big ol' gem on it.”

“Skinner, go!” Bull ordered, placing a hand on Dalish's shoulder. “Okay, sorry, you're not a mage. But you knew mages so if I had a mage related question...?”

Just behind them Krem was grunting as he unloaded roof tiles, stacking them up in Rocky's arms while Grim carried up their power tools. Dalish softened slightly, a smile finding its way onto her face. “Okay,” she said, “what is this mage question for mages?”

“An Incubus... is that different from a Desire Demon?” Iron Bull stepped to the side as Stitches climbed up into the truck to help Krem with the tiles.

“Ah... a what?” asked Dalish, brow furrowing in confusion. “I've never heard of such a thing.”

“That's because they don't happen outside of Tevinter.” Krem vaulted over the side of the truck bed, landing gracefully right next to Bull and Dalish. “Why do you want to learn about Incubi? Seems sort of out of your realm of hitting stuff with a hammer and sleeping with people.”

“You know what they are?” Bull turned from Dalish to Krem, grasping his shoulders to haul him in closer, “Are they demons? Or not?”

“Whoa whoa, Chief,” Krem slapped his hands away, “What's all this about?”

The Iron Bull had never been shy about sharing his sexual exploits, but there something extra embarrassing about sharing the fact that he'd been so horny last night he'd summoned a demon. So instead he just said, “I could lie to you, or I can get some information, assess the situation, and come back with a real explanation.”

Krem frowned, but obviously didn't want to know what Bull wasn't willing to tell him, “Alright... well to be honest I don't know specifics. Soporati, remember? But Incubi and Succubi are the kind of thing parents tell little kids to keep them from touching each other. It's said they are normal men and women, consumed so thoroughly by lust it warps their bodies into a horrible demonic form...and they can lure people into having sex with them.”

“To kill them? Or take their soul?” asked Bull, “Does this mean they _are_ demons?”

“No it's more like...” Krem frowned, stroking his fingers over his chin, obviously recalling something from his past. “They're not really demons. I don't... I can't answer the specifics. It was said they craved lust so much that the Maker punished them, and then all that would sate them was sex. Not food nor water nor anything else. They pleasure those that summon them, feed off of them, and leave. I think our parents tried to scare us more about becoming one rather than one coming to us. Which they never did, I figured they were just a story.”

Everything Krem was saying meshed with what Dorian had said. So he wasn't a Desire Demon, he was merely demon-like in appearance. Had he been punished for his lustful ways? The Iron Bull didn't buy that, he didn't believe in any Maker. Had he really been a man at one point? Perhaps... Bull just didn't know enough to draw a real conclusion. Yet. He clapped Krem on the shoulder, “Thanks, Crème de la crème. Now let's get started.”

Krem looked ready to ask something, but obviously decided better of it and vaulted back into the truck to continue his unloading. The Iron Bull pushed Dorian Pavus from his mind for the day, the hard labor and the danger of the work leaving him room for little beyond focusing on the safety of his men and a job well done. They'd be working on this roof for probably the rest of the summer, it was huge, and some places had rot under the shingles that would require more intense work. For right now they were just removing all the shingles, everyone harnessed up to keep from accidentally tumbling the four stories below.

At lunch, while his boys ate near an air conditioning unit and teased each other, The Iron Bull stood at the very top of the roof to watch the students wander around the campus. People from all over Thedas came to this University, it was supposed to be very esteemed. The professors were as varied as they were experienced, and Bull had heard the university was even lax on more experimental types of magic, which drew mages from all over.

The Iron Bull had always been suspicious of mages as group. All that power, and it was so uncontrolled over most parts of Thedas. Since becoming Tal-Vashoth he questioned the treatment of the Saarebas, but not by much. He just didn't ever want to think of Dalish in those big collars and with her lips sewn shut. He remembered what the Vints could do on Seheron, he even remembered what Tal-Vashoth Saarebas could do. Bull's skin crawled, the phantom scent of burning flesh filling his nose. No, that was a long time ago, things were different in Fereldan.

“Hey Chief!” Krem called out, “When you get your head out of the clouds, Stitches brought some of those homemade brownies!”

“Ohh, you know what I like,” Bull rumbled, pulling himself away from memories to lumber over and take a seat next to Krem.

When Iron Bull made it home that night his whole body ached, but he was pleased with their progress. He tossed his keys into the glass bowl, starting to strip down as he walked down the hallway to the bathroom. He'd take a nice long shower, crawl under the covers... and see if he couldn't get Dorian Pavus back here.

With the shower dripping behind him, steam filling his lungs with every deep breath, Iron Bull padded into his bedroom, turning on his bedside light before he sat against the headboard. He'd been given a name to call, but what more did he have to do? It had been pleasure that had summoned Dorian originally, so perhaps... The Iron Bull reached between his legs, fondling his flaccid cock gently until soft fingers of pleasure began to trail their way into his belly.

“Dooorian,” he groaned, throwing his head back against the headboard. “Dorian Paaavus,” he sing-songed, feeling ridiculous.

His first hint was the heat suffusing the room, and then the glow. Bull paused his hand to watch as Dorian took form, from his muscled torso down to his cloven hooves. He dropped to the ground, giving Bull a suspicious look, but Iron Bull thought he saw some hope there too. “You didn't call me just to toss another glass ball at my head, did you?” Dorian asked with a weak sneer.

“Only had the one,” said Bull. “I wanted to ask you some questions.”

“Well...” Dorian stretched, showing off his perfect body with a graceful roll of his hips, “I suppose I could talk a little.” Bull noticed the golden bangles around his wrists and arms, the piercings in his nose, nipples, and belly button. It was like he was molded for nothing but sex. He had a thin golden chain around his hips, silk hanging from it that was so thin and delicate that Bull could see right through it.

“I asked someone, a 'Vint, about what an Incubus is,” said Iron Bull, watching Dorian step closer and closer, silk flowing around his thighs. “He said you aren't a demon.”

“I tried to tell you that,” said Dorian, sitting on the edge of Bull's bed, tail curling up against his back.

“Well I make a point not to believe anyone who _looks_ like a demon,” Iron Bull reached out, lightly running his fingers along the smooth skin of Dorian's arm. He was warm under his fingertips, and Dorian shivered with a low moan at just being touched. “So if we fuck, what happens to me?”

“You have an excellent time,” Dorian purred, “after it's over, I'm fed, and you're just a little more sleepy than normal.”

The Iron Bull opened his mouth to ask how this had happened to Dorian. He didn't believe for a moment that a man or woman could just fuck their way to this. For one, if half the stories Krem told were true he should have sprouted horns and a tail years ago. Instead Bull shut his mouth, fingers curling around Dorian's elbow to give him a small tug. “Alright, I'm willing to give it a try.”

Dorian perked up, twisting to crawl sinuously into Bull's lap. “You will be a feast.” He reached down, unclasping the chain around his hips. Bull watched hungrily as Dorian slid the silk away from his body, dropping it nearly silently over Bull's carpet. Iron Bull sat up, hand on Dorian's shoulder to flip them over, when Dorian pushed down on his chest to pin him with supernatural strength to the mattress.

“No,” he said, lips bowed into a petulant pout, “Just lay back.”

“That's not normally how I do things,” Iron Bull growled, skin flaring with goosebumps to feel the sheer strength contained in Dorian's lithe body.

“Maybe later,” said Dorian, hands dragging down Bull's chest, fingers pinching his nipples on the way down. “Right now...please... I'm so hungry...” his pupils were blown, irises nothing more than a thin golden ring.

 _Maybe later_. Iron Bull settled into the pillows, feeling Dorian's strength relax in response. Iron Bull brought his hands up again. Instead of trying to move Dorian off his chest, he took the opportunity to run his palms along Dorian's smooth skin. He was warm, far warmer than any human. It was like a fire burned just behind his ribs. The reaction to such a simple touch was a dramatic arch and a loud moan. Dorian's tail thrashed behind him and his gold bangles clinked as his arms shook against Bull's belly. Fuck, that was hot. To see someone losing themselves to his touch so readily, to see someone so shamelessly responsive. Bull _loved_ that; and if he didn't end up missing his soul after this, he knew he'd want to do it again.

“Ohhh, I'm going to ride you!” Dorian panted, rocking his ass against Bull's cock, which had grown soft during their little chat but was once more swelling with interest.

“The oil is in the-” Bull fell silent as Dorian pressed a single finger against his lips, smiling down at him.

“Don't worry about anything,” Dorian purred, hips rolling sensually, “You just lay back...relax...” His golden eyes glowed from under his lashes, mustache tilting up as he smiled, “..and enjoy.”

“If you insist,” Bull said slowly. However he was not one to just lay back and take it. He reached up, fingers pinching Dorian's pierced nipples to give them a tug. Dorian keened loudly, making Bull perversely glad he didn't have any nearby neighbors. He was unbelievably responsive to every one of Bull's touches, to point where it almost seemed like he was faking it for effect. Except his cock was hard and leaking between his thighs, precum dripping down the shaft to roll along his balls.

Dorian reached down to grip Bull's cock, and with every stroke something dripped between his fingers to slick his cock. Bull groaned, thrusting up into Dorian's grip with a wet, sloppy sound. It jostled Dorian on his lap, drawing a gasp out of him. “You're so strong,” Dorian groaned, pulling his hand away to hover over Bull's cock.

“You know I could show you if you'd let me,” Bull promised, tugging on the golden rings in Dorian's nipples.

“Uhhn!” Dorian bit down on his bottom lip, and Bull saw the temptation in his eyes. “N-Not tonight,” Dorian breathed, lowering himself down until the head of Bull's cock was pushing up against his asshole. “Some other night, some other night I want you showing me everything.” Then with a decadent moan, Dorian sank down over him in one smooth drop. Iron Bull grunted, reaching out to grab Dorian by the hips to slow him down, some part of him fearing for his health. However, for the first time in his life, he wasn't strong enough to actually make his lover do anything and Dorian was sitting on him in no more than a second.

“Oh fuck!” Bull moaned, head falling back to gouge a new scrape in his wooden headboard. Dorian was impossibly hot, and far too tight for how easily he'd slid onto Bull's cock. It took normal men and women ages to be ready to take him, Dorian hadn't needed any time at all. Then Bull felt that tail brush along his thigh and was once more reminded that Dorian was no normal man.

“I need your come,” Dorian panted, rolling his hips and squeezing his asshole around Bull's cock, “oh _kaffas_ give it to me!”

“Greedy, I like it!” Bull groaned, digging his heels into the mattress to thrust up hard. Dorian bounced and his mouth formed a pretty little 'O' of pleasure. His cloven hooves were clearly trying to dig into the sheets but kept slipping, and his tail thrashed behind him.

If Bull couldn't control Dorian's movements, he could at least help the ones he was trying to make. He fucked up into Dorian mercilessly, fingers digging into his slim hips hard enough to leave bruises. If Dorian could even bruise. He writhed over top of Bull, mewling and moaning loud enough to fill Bull's head. Shit, he felt like all his usual stamina was being thrown out the door. If he had control perhaps he could slow down and make it last, but Dorian wasn't trying to draw it out, he obviously wanted Bull to come as soon as possible.

Heat suffused Bull's body, pleasure throbbing unnaturally through his veins. Everywhere Dorian touched, his nipples, his belly, his arms, left behind a pleasurable tingle that sank into his skin. His asshole was the perfect amount of heat and tightness to drag over Bull's shaft every time he thrust up and Dorian pushed down. He swore, watching Dorian's face as he fucked himself on Bull's cock. He looked just as radiant as ever, not even a drop of sweat on his dark skin while Bull was dripping with it.

“Fuck I'm gonna come!” Bull growled, thrusting up as hard as he could, savoring the sound of their skin slapping together. Dorian looked absolutely delighted by this, squeezing around Bull's cock as he met his punishing pace. His own cock bobbed between his legs, swollen with arousal. So Bull grabbed it, stroking Dorian in time with their frantic thrusting.

“Oh!” Dorian arched forward, hands pressing against Bull's chest, “Y-You don't h-have to-”

“I want to watch you come,” Bull said, putting as much authority as he could manage into his voice.

“Mmmphh,” Dorian's brow furrowed, eyes slipping shut and bottom lip slipping between his teeth. He looked like every wet dream Bull had ever had.

Dorian came first, shuddering over Bull as he spat hot come over his stroking hand. He wailed, hips stilling in distraction as he shivered like a leaf. Bull thrust up three more times and then that tightly held spring in his belly snapped, sending him releasing into Dorian's asshole with a roar of pleasure. Dorian's eyes practically rolled into the back of his head, lips parting in a breathless moan as Bull emptied himself inside.

The heat and pleasure were like nothing Bull had ever felt before, his orgasm seemed to go on forever, until every nerve was raw and aching. When it was over he collapsed limply over the pillows, eye so heavy he could barely keep it open to watch Dorian. The Incubus dipped down, smiling warmly as Bull blinked sleepily. “You have a lot of energy to give..” he pressed a gentle kiss against Bull's lips, and to his sorrow he was far too tired to reciprocate the soft brush of Dorian's lips. “I think we'll see each other again...ah... I don't think I ever got your name?”

Bull's brain was a jumble, he couldn't think, “The Iron Bull,” he muttered, already half asleep.

“A strong name for a strong man,” Dorian mused, already sounding very far away. “Very well...until next time...The Iron Bull...”

He felt Dorian lift off his softening cock but didn't feel a splash of come with it...then darkness.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iron Bull has questions, and he's not sure how to get them answered

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All pictures by the indomitable [ROCKGAARA!!!](http://rockgaara.tumblr.com/) I really hope you guys are giving her some love, she's amazing.
> 
> And thanks to my beta Ezno!!!

The next morning was like waking up after a night of semi-responsible drinking. His mouth felt as if it had been stuffed with cotton, his head felt too heavy for his neck, and his stomach felt as if he'd throw up anything he ate...but other than that all his limbs were intact and his cock seemed to work fine if his morning wood was anything to go by. Iron Bull just felt rubbed raw like a hand before it developed all the right callouses.

A tall glass of cold water sat on his nightstand, along with two pain pills and a note. Bull sat up against the headboard, downing the pills and draining the glass before he picked up the note. It was written in a flowery script, the kind of handwriting rich people had. It made Bull wonder about Dorian's background, assuming he had been human once.

_The Iron Bull,_

_Your first experience can be particularly draining. I hope this will not deter you from calling on me again._

_Yours,_

_Dorian Pavus_

To the bottom of the short note was taped a golden coin and in a tight, cramped script was written.

_Whisper my name into the coin, I'll hear you._

Bull pulled the coin free, rubbing it between his thumb and forefinger curiously. All this magic crap was well out of his comfort zone... but there was something about Incubi that didn't add up to him. What had caused Dorian to become such? Was there really some vengeful Old God in Tevinter, punishing young men and women? Why not elsewhere? No... this reeked of forbidden magic.

He set the coin down on his bedside table and pushed himself out from under the warm sheets. There was work to do today, and no matter what sort of weird Tevinter bullshit he found himself embroiled in, a roof still needed to get fixed. The pills started to take effect during the shower, and by the time he was dressed he felt well enough to cook up a breakfast of eggs and bacon, eating as ravenously as ever. He wondered if he'd feel like this every time he fucked Dorian, or if overtime his body would learn to compensate. Ah... he might be getting ahead of himself. Bull tossed his dishes into the sink to take care of later, knowing he'd curse himself come evening when he was tired from a long day of work and dishes were stacked up in the sink... but that wasn't his problem right now.

He scooped his keys out of the glass bowl in the hallway, glanced up his stairs, and then locked the door behind him. Dorian lingered on his mind as he drove to the University, remembering how his eyes glowed in the darkness, the feeling of the fur on his legs, a little coarse, rubbing up against his thighs as Dorian bounced over his cock. There was so much of Dorian he hadn't explored. He wanted to touch the tail, to feel if the black fur felt the same as the fur on his legs. Wanted to see what the arrow shape on the end felt like. Wanted to suck every piercing and lap over his dark skin. He had golden piercings in his cock that Bull wanted to pay special attention to. It had looked like a jacob's ladder and a Prince Albert, but honestly he hadn't gotten much of a chance to look.

His boys, his Chargers, were already milling about the parking lot when he pulled up.

“You're late, Chief!” Krem chided.

“Uh, rough night,” Bull grunted, “drank a little too much.”

“Uh huh...” Krem said incredulously, crossing his arms over his chest.

“What'd you do, drink an entire box of that sweet wine you like?” Rocky hooted, thankfully derailing any of Krem's pointed questions.

“Hey you lay off the Franzia,” Bull rumbled, pulling the ladder off the rack on the back of his truck to carry it over his shoulder as they all walked to the building they were working on. Students parted around them like water, some of them looking at Bull with obvious want shining in their eyes. In many places he was looked at with fear or revulsion, but this University was no stranger to Qunari. Their Dean was a Qunari apparently. So it just meant most of the students had plenty of time to get over the fear without losing their desire for the unknown.

Bull smiled at some of them, but honestly what he might have once pursued now seemed to pale in comparison to Dorian. He couldn't lie, half the fun was the mystery. They set up the ladder and climbed up where all their tools were carefully lined up next to all the supplies they'd stacked up for the next week. The dumpster below was only half full of shingles, which was good because they had a lot of shingles to tear up today.

Everyone clipped into their harnesses and started to work. Iron Bull was glad for the distraction, it was good honest work. Krem kept looking at him sideways, opening his mouth to ask something and then deciding not to. Bull had never kept a big secret from Krem, he was his right hand man. Bull had lost an eye for him when they hadn't even known each other. It almost seem wrong to keep him in the dark.

When lunch rolled around Bull pulled Krem to the side. Behind them everyone was hooting and laughing over a story Stitches was telling, even Grim was smiling behind his sandwich. “Hey, I know you've been wanting to ask me...stuff.”

“Yeah...stuff...” said Krem, hands on his hips. “You think I'd forget about _you_ asking me about some Tevinter bullshit? Incubi no less?”

“I know I know,” Iron Bull held up his hands to stop any further sneering, “Look, you're right, it wasn't idle conversation. I'm not going to insult you by pretending it was,” Krem seemed a little mollified by that, and his hands went from his hips to his pockets, stance relaxing visibly. “That being said, I need to keep quiet a little longer, until I know more. Then, hey, you'll know what I know.”

“You know what I think, Chief?” said Krem lowly as behind them the Chargers practically screamed with laughter. “I think you're playing with fire.”

Iron Bull couldn't argue with that.

Krem stopped giving him sideways glances, he seemed to trust Bull enough to know that when the time came he'd spill his guts. It meant the rest of the workday was spent bantering and filthy jokes, everyone sweating profusely as they stripped the roof clean. Summer may be a good time to repair a roof, but it meant they worked in 80 or 90 degree weather. Bull made sure everyone stayed properly hydrated, but they were all drained when they slid down the ladder at the end of the day.

“Hey drinks on me tonight!” Rocky yelled, followed by yells of agreement from everyone.

Except Bull. “I drank enough last night,” he laughed as Dalish pouted and grabbed his wrist, trying to tug him with them.

“That's never stopped you before!” Skinner said, giving him a shrewd look.

“Besides, I got stuff I need to do here,” he handed the ladder to Grim and Stitches to carry back to his truck then waved them off. He was at the biggest University in Skyhold, surely their library would have something worth reading about Incubi.

Bull stopped in the bathroom first, washing as much dirt and sweat off his face and arms as he could in a sink. He didn't think this fancy-pancy place would like a big sweaty Qunari touching all their valuable books. The library was enormous, stacks and stacks of books standing so tall that at least a few of the librarians were required to be mages to get them down. Some shelves had rolling ladders to help patrons reach them.

People whispered in the background. There was the thumping of stacks of books being set on a table, the hiss of pages being turned. Giggles and shushes. Bull took a seat at one of the computers. To his right an elf girl had on a giant pair of headphones and was chewing gum as she clicked idly through some social media site. To his left a skittish dwarf boy practically shivered with caffeine overload, still downing a 5-hour energy and twitchily typing an essay.

Neither of them paid him a lick of attention. Bull pecked out the word “Incubus” into the keyword search bar. The elf girl tittered at something, covering her mouth with a hand. After a moment of thinking the computer pulled up a list of books. Some of them were obviously children's fairytales. Others looked like maybe they could hold something worth reading. Bull jot down the name and decimals of the most promising and walked away to the sound of the elf girl snickering into her palm.

Book one was titled _The Beasts of the North_. To Bull's amusement it had a section on Qunari. More importantly it had a section on Incubi and Succubi.

_Though the legend of the Incubi and Succubi is well known, few have ever actually seen one. To the point where this author debates on their existence. They are said to be men and women warped by their unnatural lusts to resemble demons. They are forced to feed off of the sexual pleasure of their partners to survive. Whether or not this is true is up for debate. Texts about them are few and far between. If someone does know something about these beasts, they are keeping it a secret._

Worthless, all things Krem had told him. Bull shook his head and put the book back. Another book was merely about children's tales, and another just the exact same thing he'd already read. Iron Bull let out a sound of frustration, wandering into the furthest parts of the library in his search for something, anything. In a far corner he paused, running his fingers over the books at the tallest part of the shelf he could reach. Back here there were no stools and no ladders, no one but a mage would reach these books without assistance. Or him. A book caught his eye called _A Tevinter Grimoire_. He pulled it down, letting it fall open in his palm. He groaned in frustration, it was in Ancient Tevene. He flipped through it until he saw something that looked close to Dorian. It had a diagram with a man turning into something that looked like an Incubus, and if the illustrations had accurate facial expressions then he was in enormous pain. Bull couldn't make heads nor tails of the text, so he put it back where he found it.

He turned around and yelled loud enough to have at least four different people shush him from several shelves over. A lean, bald elf was right behind him, head cocked curiously.

“I startled you,” he said in a smooth, quiet voice, “forgive me.”

“Koslun's sweaty balls,” Bull breathed, forcing his fingers to uncurl out of a fist, “I almost punched you.”

“It was not my intention I merely wished to ask you something,” said the elf, gaze far too clever, “are you, by any chance, a mage?”

“Fuck no,” said Bull gruffly, stuffing his hands into his pockets, “who's asking?”

The elf held out his hand, fingers almost creepily long and thin, “Professor Solas, I teach Fade Theory here.” He had a surprisingly strong handshake. “I didn't think you were but I had to ask... the fade clings to you oddly.”

“That's...creepy,” said Bull slowly.

Solas smiled lightly, “If you ever have some free time, you should attend one of my lectures. The Fade is nothing to fear.”

“I'll think about it,” Bull grunted.

“Be sure that you do,” Solas gave him a once over and then left without a backwards glance.

That was probably his sign to give up and go home. This library didn't have any more information than Krem did. Unless someone spoke ancient Tevene. Bull snorted and walked out from between the shelves. Solas was speaking to the twitchy dwarf boy, a hand on his shoulder, and paid absolutely no attention to Iron Bull as he left. He had to wonder exactly what made him think the fade was “clinging” to him. However there were some things that Bull just didn't want to know.

His ladder had been put back up on the rack in the bed of his truck, and everyone had helpfully drawn dicks into the dust on his tailgate. _Children_ , he thought fondly. He left the drawings alone. Iron Bull was perversely glad to be home when he pulled into the driveway with a crunch of gravel, turning off the truck and slipping out to wander through his wild garden path to the front door.

The house was as silent as always when he unlocked the front door and tossed his keys into the glass bowl. Light streamed through the great bay window in the living room still despite how late it was getting. The joys of the summer. Bull turned instead to the kitchen, where that morning’s dishes mocked him, as he was expecting. He cleaned them with a grumble, cursing his past self for not just doing them when he made them. The banality of it all was soothing, especially knowing he had a coin upstairs that would work some freaky magic shit and summon Dorian with a whisper.

As a matter of fact, for just a few hours Bull didn't want to think about magic or Incubi at all. He threw himself down over the couch with a microwaved potpie and watched TV. Something with lots of explosions and absolutely no magic. He had earned at least this much. Bull didn't turn off the TV until the light began to fade, throwing the shadows of his rose bushes over his carpet. He had another early morning, another day of backbreaking work. He reluctantly turned the TV off and pushed himself to his feet, trudging up the stairs to his bedroom.

The coin glinted almost teasingly on his bedside table. A tempting idea, having Dorian here once more, Bull sat down on the edge of his bed and picked up the coin to run his thumb along it. He shouldn't, probably; he didn't want to wake up with another hangover.

“Aren't you going to call me?”

“Fuck!” Bull darted to his feet, fist pulled back as he turned and saw Dorian standing by his bathroom door. “How the- I didn't call you!”

Dorian's tail curled between his legs, head dipping as his bottom lip stuck out petulantly. “You don't have to for me to show up. That's just for your convenience. If you don't tell me to stop, I can come and go as I please now that a connection has been made.” He looked up, golden eyes far too big for their own good, “You won't tell me to stop, will you?”

Iron Bull let out a breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. “No,” he muttered, looking up to see the way Dorian beamed at him. “Just don't sneak up on me like that, got it?”

“How did you not notice my radiance the moment I entered the room?” Dorian preened, clearly back in his element now that he knew Bull wasn't going to kick him to the curb.

“Been a long day,” Bull grunted, smiling despite himself.

“I could make you feel better,” said Dorian, hooves pressing silently into Bull's carpet as he slipped closer. He looked eager, almost greedy, golden eyes shining with desire.

“I don't know, Big Guy,” said Bull lowly, slipping off his boots to work open the brace on his left leg. A combination of a war wound and then later falling off a roof. Even magic couldn't fully fix that kind of damage twice. It didn't bother him, didn't affect his work. So long as he kept the brace on he could get around like he didn't have a bum leg at all. Without the brace his knee was liable to buckle and give out, or have him limping around after a long day without the support. Considering some of the wounds he'd seen on Seheron, Bull knew he'd gotten off lucky.

“Oh please!” Dorian purred, falling to his knees between Bull's spread legs, hands rubbing along the inside of his thighs.

“I have work again tomorrow, I can't keep waking up with some... sex hangover or crap,” but Bull knew he'd give in, because Dorian was beautiful and needy, two things he could never turn down.

“I won't take as much tonight,” Dorian promised, looking up at him from under his lashes, lips brushing along the the denim at his knee. “We can take it nice and slow, I desire a proper worshiping and I think you are the perfect subject to shower me with the praise and adulation I so deserve.”

"Man you are demanding," Bull snorted. He couldn't kid anyone at this point, much less Dorian, he was going to cave like an old mine. Bull reached down, fingers rubbing where Dorian's little horns broke the skin, feeling smooth turn to rough. He knew what it felt like to have someone pay special attention to the skin over his horns. Fuckin' nirvana. Dorian's eyes fluttered shut and he leaned in to Bull's touch with a pleased sigh.

"I'll take just a little," Dorian repeated softly, "and I will give you a great deal, The Iron Bull."

"Fine," said Bull, giving up the charade of resistance, "but you do what I say."

When Dorian's eyes opened they shone with eagerness, "You're that kind of lover, are you?" he purred.

"Oh yeah," Bull bent down to growl against Dorian's parted lips, always staying just out of reach despite Dorian's little mewls of frustration. "Since you were so abrupt last night, I think I deserve to get a chance to really know you, Dorian Pavus. Get naked and lay on the bed."

Dorian practically jumped to his feet, the gold chain spilling off his hips to let the silk pool on his floor. He crawled past Bull, tail brushing purposefully against his cheek before he lay out on his back, legs spread wide and cock already half hard. "It's been quite some time since I've been properly ravished," Dorian sighed, tucking his hands behind his head, "I hope you won't disappoint."

"Did I disappoint last night?" Bull asked, unzipping his jeans.

"Oh no," Dorian said, grinning widely, "there isn't a single bit of you that disappointed me," his eyes darted down to where Bull was peeling back his jeans. Dorian licked his lips, looking particularly greedy. "I do hope you'll let me have a taste."

"On my own time," said Bull, grinning as Dorian gave him a pout. He knew exactly what kind of effect that face would have, it was purely calculated. Didn't mean Bull didn't love it. He kicked off his jeans and threw off his shirt, leaving him naked for Dorian's shameless gaze. He didn't have a single thing to be ashamed of. Bull grinned a flexed a little, to Dorian's obvious delight.

"So big and strong," he murmured, sighing happily as Bull crawled over him.

"You didn't seem to have any problem shoving me around last night," said Bull, fingers tracing Dorian's pointed ear to run along every piercing and tug lightly at the gold chain looped through the piercing at the tip of his ear and the one on his lobe.

"Ah!" Dorian shifted as Bull messed with his piercings, eyes lidding, "my strength is purely supernatural. Doesn't mean I don't appreciate a natural strength. I hope you'll show me more of it."

"Maybe," said Bull, just to get that pout back on Dorian's face. He lapped at his full bottom lip, sucking it into his mouth and then slipping his tongue out with a sigh. Dorian groaned, eagerly opening up to the kiss, his hands sliding out from under his head to wrap around Bull's shoulders.

He wanted to take it slow tonight, to contrast last night’s frantic pace. Dorian seemed more than willing to go at any speed Bull set, moaning and whimpering into their lazy kisses. Eventually he pulled away from Dorian's mouth with a wet sound, a string of spit still connecting them before Dorian licked his lips and broke it. Bull kissed down the graceful column of his throat, licking at the hollow of his clavicle then biting lightly over his collarbone. Dorian gasped, arching under him with even the smallest of touches.

Bull paused on his way down to pay special attention to Dorian's nipples. He pinched the rings between his fingers, tugging on them until Dorian wailed and slapped at his shoulders. He let them go only to capture one between his lips and pinch the other one. He curled his tongue around the ring but didn't tug it, showing Dorian some small mercy. He could feel Dorian's hooves digging into the mattress so he could thrust up and rub his hard cock against Bull's skin, smearing him with precum.

He moved on with one last lap against Dorian's pert nipples. He trailed his lips down Dorian's hairless belly, tonguing at his bellybutton piercing just to hear the way Dorian whimpered and feel him squirm. He was so responsive. Bull lapped lower until Dorian's cock bumped against his chin, then promptly passed over it with a wicked grin.

“The Iron Bull!” Dorian whined as Bull suckled the inside of his thigh, before the fur started to sprout. He sat up, scooting down with a frown. It was at this point that he didn't know what to do. Kiss the fur? Scratch it? Pet it? He was kinky but he wasn't the kind of man to suck on a pair of hooves. As if sensing his uncertainty, Dorian placed a hoof on the center of his chest, a clever smile splitting his flushed face. 

Before Bull's eye the fur receded, the extra joint disappeared, and the hooves elongated into a graceful foot which lifted up so Dorian could wriggle his toes before his mouth. He grabbed Dorian's foot, lowering it look at his face. For the first time, Bull saw sweat beading on his forehead and dripping down his temples, eyes narrowed with strain. “What the hell?” Bull asked, digging his thumbs into the arch of Dorian's foot.

“Ah! Oh! Mmph been forever since I've...oh...!” Dorian arched, arms stretching out above his head to grip the headboard. He still had his horns and tail, but his legs were now perfectly normal, though apparently insanely sensitive. Bull picked up Dorian's other foot to give it the same attention, watching his face closely.

“Been forever since you what?” asked Bull, thumbs rubbing from Dorian's heel all the way up to his pad.

“Had normal legs,” Dorian gasped out, “it, ah, it takes energy to alter my appearance.”

Iron Bull couldn't help but laugh, gently setting down Dorian's leg, “Put it on my tab?”

“Gladly, The Bull,” Dorian held out his arms and Bull fell forward, capturing his lips in another hard kiss. He had no idea how Dorian gathered energy. Was it just his pleasure in general? Because he was hard as a rock as he ground his cock against Dorian's. Or was it the energy from orgasm? Perhaps it was the come itself. Questions he should ask some time.

One of Dorian's hands distracted him by sliding between their bodies to grip his cock and stroke it. Just like last night, Bull felt slick, or oil, drip between Dorian's fingers to coat his flesh. His legs, now smooth and warm, wrapped around Bull's hips, heels digging into his ass. Iron Bull thought about making him wait, but he'd been very patient and well behaved no matter how Bull teased him, so it only seemed fair to reward him. With their lips still pressed together, Bull reached down to grab Dorian's thigh and haul one leg over his shoulder. His cock pushed against Dorian's asshole, and against his better judgment he thrust forward. Just like last night his cock slid in smoothly, and Dorian did nothing but moan in pure ecstasy. Bull had to admit, he could get used to this.

“Fuck me hard!” Dorian groaned, nails digging into Bull's back as he clutched at him. His one leg tightened around Bull's hip, forcing him further forward with a wheeze. Dorian really was impossibly strong.

“Hey we do this my way, remember?” said Bull, stubbornly holding still until Dorian's leg relaxed enough to let him move under his own power.

“Did you agree to this just to torture me?” Dorian groaned, giving Bull that irresistible pout once more.

“Heh, no, but it is a bonus if you keep making that cute face,” Bull grinned, bending down to draw Dorian into a slow, sensual kiss.

“Mmmm, I'm not cute,” Dorian muttered between kisses, hands sliding up Bull's shoulders to cup his face, “I'm devastatingly handsome.”

"Devastating," Bull agreed, beginning to roll his hips in a slow, easy rhythm. Dorian wasn't wrong, but his beauty was unearthly, there was no part of him that didn't remind Bull that he wasn't human. Not just the horns and tail, which thumped and thrashed and sometimes curled along Bull's back, but the glowing golden eyes, the smooth soft skin without a single flaw. The perfectly placed beauty mark beside his eye. The mustache that was always perfectly curled no matter how much they kissed. He didn't sweat he didn't fart, he smelled of nothing but spices.

Yet his reactions were very human. He whimpered and sighed into Bull's mouth, his nails slid down his back to leave red furrows in their wake. He arched and begged breathlessly. Iron Bull fully believed the pleasure was real for him; but hey, might as well enjoy what sustains you.

"Such a cruel man!" Dorian groaned when Bull refused to speed up, "don't tease me!"

Iron Bull grinned down at him, enjoying the slow slide of his cock into Dorian's perfectly tight, perfectly hot body. "I'm not teasing you, I'm savoring you. When was the last time you just relaxed and enjoyed the ride?" Bull bent down, sucking a bruise into Dorian's neck with his teeth kneading and worrying the flesh to bring up as much color as he could.

"I...I don't know," Dorian breathed, whining as Bull's teeth sank into his neck. He relaxed slightly, hands rubbing over the scratches in Bull's shoulders.

"That's it, Dorian," Bull rumbled lowly against his pulse, "just lay back into it, let me spoil you."

"If... If you insist," he breathed.

It almost seemed sad, no doubt Dorian was accustomed to nights like last. Where he got fucked or fucked someone hard and fast just to get it over quickly so he could feed. Did he enjoy it all the time? Bull hoped so. Just because it felt good didn't mean it was enjoyable though. Bull wanted him to enjoy this from start to finish, to fuck like he _ wanted _ it not like he needed it to live.

It was slow and sloppy, Dorian sinking into the mattress as his muscles unlocked and he practically purred every time their lips met in a kiss. He undulated under Bull, matching every roll of his hips. Dorian squeezed around his cock now and again, lips splitting in a toothy smile whenever Bull grunted or groaned in response. He lapped between those white teeth with another kiss, groaning against Dorian's lips, "Fuck I'm gonna come."

"Oh please please please!" Dorian whispered.

Now that he was more in control, Bull could feel a small pull in his gut that had nothing to do with his orgasm. Dorian's face was open with pleasure, eyes shut and lips parted as he panted and whimpered. Bull watched him as he picked up speed, fucking Dorian just a little harder as the pleasure started to coil in his gut. Invisible fingers trailed down his spine and when he came he once more found himself shuddering with it, cock pulsing as he shot ropes of come deep inside Dorian's body. It lasted longer than a normal orgasm, but not as long as last night.

When it was over he was exhausted, but not on the verge of passing out. Bull panted heavily for breath, staring down at Dorian as he licked his lips, a flush high in his cheeks. Bull could feel Dorian's come, hot and sticky between them.

"Such a feast," Dorian sighed happily, eyes finally slipping open, still glowing eerily in the low light.

"Shit," Bull grunted, slowly pulling back. He expected to slide free with a rush of come, considering how much Dorian had milked from his body, but there was nothing. "What exactly are you...feeding on?" he asked, laying out beside Dorian, one arm wrapping around his waist while the other he tucked under his chin to hold him up.

Dorian curled against him, cuddling against his chest and wrapping his arms around his chest; or as far as they would go anyway. "So warm," he sighed, despite being some kind of walking furnace himself. "I derive energy from your sexual pleasure. Most of it comes from orgasm. I take the seed as well, I assume that's what you're disappointed about, not watching it leak out and make a mess of my thighs?"

Bull groaned, pulling Dorian closer as heat flared briefly in his belly, "Don't talk like that unless you want me to find the energy to fuck you again."

"If you could I'd welcome it," Dorian said, voice slightly muffled against his chest, "but I had to take more than I wanted...for the legs."

"Hmm," Bull ran his palm as far down Dorian's thigh as far he could, into his fingers just brushed down his calf. "Such nice legs though," he hummed.

"They are quite magnificent," Dorian agreed, stretched and curling his toes against Bull's shin.

They lay in silence for awhile, Bull's eyes growing heavy as Dorian breathed softly against his chest. He seemed ready to fall asleep himself. Bull almost hoped he would. "You know if you stay I'll make you breakfast in the morning," said Bull slowly, voice thick with sleep, "can you eat food?"

Dorian jerked against him slightly, "Ah...I can't stay, I should go." He wriggled out from under Bull's arm, fussily arranging the covers.

"Don't leave on my account," Bull frowned, settling on his back.

Dorian paused, hands smoothing the sheets over Bull's chest as he stared down at him. "I can't," he breathed, fingers crawling up to brush along the stubble on Bull's jaw. "I'm an Incubus, remember? It's just sex and survival." That line sounded rehearsed.

Iron Bull was far too tired to fight him. He reached up, lightly brushing his thumb along Dorian's cheek as he cupped the side of his face. Dorian leaned into the touch only briefly, gaze gentle. The look was gone too fast to savor, and then Bull was cupping thin air. He let his hand fall back to his chest with a sigh. He wanted to stay awake to organize what he'd learned, but his body finally gave up and he fell asleep before he could do much more than blink.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iron Bull thinks up something new to do with Dorian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All illustrations are by the fabulous Rockgaara
> 
> And tons of thanks to my beta, Ezno!

When Bull woke up the next morning he was groggy, but not ill. It was more "I stayed up too late" rather than "I drank until my liver gave out." The bed stand was bereft of water or notes, but the coin was still there so Bull took that as a good sign. Dorian wasn't averse to returning even if he had left in a hurry last night. Iron Bull had too many questions at this point to just let Dorian slip from between his fingers.

He reluctantly pushed himself out of bed and shuffled to the bathroom to take a shower. Dorian's come had dried onto his stomach and he still reeked of sex. _He_ thought it was a good smell, his crew would not agree. The shower poured steaming hot water all down his body, stinging over the scratches still marking his shoulders. Bull huffed, one hand resting against the shower wall as the other slipped between his legs. Fuck, feeling the sting was just bringing back the feeling of Dorian writhing beneath him, lips parted and eyes squeezed shut with ecstasy.

Iron Bull didn't draw it out, stroking himself quickly until he came over his hand and the shower wall. After his orgasms with Dorian this seemed pitiful in comparison, a throb of pleasure that lasted but a few seconds and faded quickly. He finished cleaning himself off and slipped out of the bathroom to get dressed for the day.

The coin winked at him in the morning light streaming through his window, so Bull picked it up and slipped it into the pocket of his jeans. He should probably talk to Krem before this went any further. He couldn't find the answers alone.

Breakfast was a fast affair, and he even bothered to do the dishes instead of throwing them in the sink to deal with later. He had vague plans of spoiling himself with a fancy dinner. He cooked so rarely these days. With the kitchen cleaned he decided it was time to go. If he was late again he'd never hear the end of it.

Iron Bull scooped his keys out of their glass bowl and drove to the University. Unlike yesterday he was the first to arrive, which was more along his style. He hauled down his ladder and brought it to the building, setting it up and climbing onto the roof to get everyone's tools and harnesses set out. By the time he was done, his boys were starting to trickle onto the roof, their tool belts strapped on and weighed down with hammers, knives, cat-paws, and plenty of nails.

"Hey, Krem, let's talk before you get strapped in," said Bull as Krem picked up his harness.

"Ooooooh!" crowed Dalish and Skinner in tandem, as if they were all elementary school students.

Krem rolled his eyes but it made Bull grin. He led Krem to the edge of the roof, the sound of the Chargers picking up tools and supplies covering their quiet words.

"I saw Dorian last night," said Bull, slipping his hand into his pocket to grip the coin, feeling it warmed by the heat of his body.

"Am I supposed to know who-" Bull watched as Krem put two and two together, eyes going wide, "-wait you _know_ an Incubus? You... you've met one?! _That's_ why you were asking!?" He put his palm against his forehead, as if he couldn't quite believe it.

"What, you think I just pulled open my book on "Ancient Tevinter Bullshit" and ran across the term?" asked Bull, crossing his arms over his chest, coin clenched between his knuckles. "I, uh, summoned him on accident three nights ago. Threw a paperweight at his head."

"So then that's when you started asking," Krem muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose, "Chief, only you. Let me guess, you called him back that night?"

"Yeah," Iron Bull held out the coin for Krem to inspect, "then he left this behind. It's...I dunno, a direct line to him or something." It glinted and shone in the sun, practically a beacon in the daylight.

"You haven't used it though, right?" Krem shot him an accusing glare.

Iron Bull grinned sheepishly, "Not... _technically_... turns out he can show up on his own unless I tell him to stop."

"Chief you don't know what you're playing with," Krem growled under his breath. Behind them the Chargers were starting to tear open the packages of shingles, though Grim and Rocky were working where rot had set into the frame and insulation. "I don't believe anymore than you that these things come about by some... divine intervention. Which means _someone_ or _something_ is directly involved in this Dorian's...curse... or whatever."

"Yeah, I agree," said Bull solemnly, tucking the coin back into his pocket, "Someone did this to Dorian, and I want to find out who and how to reverse it."

Krem just stared at him as if he'd grown a second head.

"I need your help, Krem, I can't figure this all out on my own."

"Uhg!" Krem threw his arms into the air with a sound of disgust, "Of course you do! Of course you're dragging me into this weird bullshit and _of course_ I'm going to say yes!"

"That's my Krem of the crop!" Bull laughed, clapping Krem on the shoulder hard enough to stagger him. "First things first, you know where I can find someone who reads Ancient Tevene?"

Krem shrugged off his hand, "We're at a University. You'd know as much as me there. _Soporati_ , remember? I'll help though, if only because," he paused, thumbs hooking in his tool belt, "if only because no one deserves that. And you'd be the only one crazy enough to want to stick your nose in it to help."

Bull could feel the hair on the back of his neck prickle with unease, a sense he had retained from Seheron. They were being watched...intently. He glanced to the side from the corner of his eye; down below a student had stopped in their tracks to stare up at them, face shielded from the sun with their hand. As soon as Krem turned his head to see what Bull was looking at, the student spooked and threw up their hood, walking off before Bull could figure out if they were a man or a woman.

"Who was that?" asked Krem, watching them disappear into a nearby building.

Iron Bull shrugged, but his gut rolled unpleasantly, "Dunno," he said, trying to ignore his instincts. "Just some curious kid, I guess." Sometimes the weirdest things could set off his PTSD. It wasn't always loud noises. Sometimes it was certain smells, or sights. Sometimes it would flare up when people looked at him sideways. He'd had to train himself to live like a normal person again, to not suspect that everyone was slipping poison into the bread. This was probably just that again, a lingering effect of ten years on that shitty island.

He shook his head, trying to clear away the wool gathering between his ears. "Come on Krem, lots of work to do and not enough day to do it in."

The prickling unease faded as they worked, and though Bull kept an eye out when he could, the student never walked past again. Probably. Once again they ended the day tired, sweaty, and pleased with their progress. While the others cleaned up, Krem pulled Bull to the side, “So what did you say this Incubus' name was?”

“Dorian...uh... Dorian Pavus?” A 'Vint name if he ever heard one.

Krem's eyes widened, “Pavus? You're sure?”

“Yeah, shit Krem, you know him?” Bull bent down, his heart jumping into his throat.

“What? No! I...” Krem chewed his thumbnail, looking to the side as he recalled something, “I don't _know_ him but if he really is a Pavus then... well... it's too early to tell but that gives me somewhere to look.”

“Hey,” Bull put a hand on Krem's shoulder, looking him in the eye, “Thanks...really.”

“Look, just promise me one thing, Chief,” said Krem, “be careful. I mean that. Don't... don't dig too far too fast... and don't trust something just 'cause it's pretty.”

“You know I have a weakness for pretty things,” Bull laughed and held up his hands as Krem shot him a poisonous glare. “You have my word, I'll look before I leap.”

“Good... now let's get out of here, you big idiot. You owe me some drinks I think.” Krem slapped Bull on the arm.

Iron Bull laughed, “Okay, yeah, I owe you at _least_ one drink.” He followed Krem off the ladder, the Chargers milling about down below laughing and teasing each other. The job may be hard, but it wasn't that stressful. Iron Bull liked how good his team felt after a hard day of work. They'd earned their money, now it was time to play. Work never had to come home with them. “Drinks on me!” he yelled, hefting his collapsed ladder over his shoulder.

“HORNS UP!” The Chargers yelled in tandem.

The bar was loud before they got there, but now it was just plain raucous. Bull told the bar to put everything on his tab then let his boys go wild. Bull just ordered himself a beer and left it at that, he didn't want to get drunk tonight. While nursing his beer he pulled out a cigarette from his back pocket to smoke while Rocky climbed on top of a nearby table and declared himself King of the World. Bull rolled his eye as Stitches and Dalish and Skinner flipped the table on its side to send him tumbling to the ground. Krem and Grim were playing a muted game of pool.

“Hey stranger!”

Iron Bull glanced over to see the pretty red haired dwarf he'd been making out with a few days ago. Damn... seemed like fuckin' ages. “Hey,” he said fondly, sitting back against the booth to grin at her, “what brings you back here?”

“Oh you know, the silent and contemplative atmosphere,” she quipped, tucking some red hair behind her ear. As if on cue, Dalish and Skinner started to sing an extremely dirty song about a man finding out a magical spell had given him two dicks. “Is this seat taken?” she asked, pointing to his lap.

Iron Bull put out his cigarette and pat his thigh, “Seems free enough to me!” She climbed up smoothly, settling herself quite comfortably against his chest. She took his beer out of his hand to take a swig herself, licking her lips. “So, I don't think we got each other's names last time,” said Bull resting one hand on her thigh. It almost spanned the entire thing.

“Call me Harding,” she said, snuggling back against him, “You?”

“The Iron Bull. How's that healthy living thing going for you?” he took a sip of his beer and then handed it back to her to finish.

“Pft!” Harding rolled her eye so hard that Bull could almost feel it. “That guy was a hack, I decided I'd rather be safe while having fun than cut all the fun out completely.”

“Ha! Now that's what I'm talking about!” Iron Bull crowed, bouncing her on his knee so hard she almost spilled beer all over herself with an undignified squawk. “Oops, sorry.”

Harding elbowed him lightly in the gut, squirming on his lap to settle herself again. She was lightly flushed, warm, sexy as hell. Any other night Bull would already be taking her out the door with him. Tonight though... Bull was not usually an exclusive man, not unless his partner of the moment made it clear that it made them uncomfortable to have him sleeping around. There was no way to know how Dorian would feel, if he even would feel anything at all about Bull taking home someone else.

However his instincts were telling him that if he wanted answers, he would have to be careful how he treated Dorian. He probably rarely came to the same person more than once. He probably rarely gave out the coins. He probably rarely cuddled and and kissed and enjoyed himself. If that were the case, Bull wanted to keep what they had rare and unusual, it would keep Dorian's interest. If that meant sleeping with no one else, well, fucking Dorian was like a dream, it wasn't that much of a sacrifice.

Obviously he'd been silent for too long because Harding was starting to squirm again, “So....?” she asked, looking up at him enticingly, “you going to take me out of here or not?”

“Heh,” Bull shook his head, “I'd love to, believe me-”

“Damn,” Harding pouted into the beer, “I lost my chance the other night, didn't I?”

“Well, for now,” said Bull. He pointed to where Krem was leaning against the pool table, his outer shirt had already been removed, leaving him in just his white tank. His arms were roped with muscle, lean and sinewy. Harding whistled under her breath. “That guy needs to get laid though, believe me. His name's Krem.”

“Well you don't need to pull my teeth!” Harding chirped, sliding out of Bull's lap with a laugh. She paused just long enough to tug him down into a quick kiss. “I'll see you around sometime, yeah? I'll drink you under a table!”

“Whoa!” Bull growled, “I'd like to see that!”

Harding slipped through the crowd, popping up by Krem with a beaming smile. Iron Bull grinned and finished his drink. He went up front to pay his outrageous tab without complaint, if they wanted to drink more then they could buy it themselves, and left with a general wave. Most of them were probably too drunk to notice he was leaving. Except for Krem, he was busy with an eager dwarf.

His house was dark and silent when he arrived. The sound of his keys falling in the glass bowl seemed to wake the place up. He clicked on the lights on, wandering into the living room to turn on the TV and then into the kitchen to start cooking up a nice dinner. Iron Bull wondered if Dorian could eat real food anymore, it'd be a real shame if he couldn't, Bull made a mean stir fry. He made himself a huge bowl of steak stir fry, rice warm and sticky under it. The leftovers he packed into the fridge and the dishes he left to do later. Bull took his meal into the living room, sitting down on the couch with a sigh.

He twisted to slip his hand into his pocket, pulling out the golden coin to twist it between his knuckles. Bull wondered if...

“Dorian,” he hummed, lips brushing the warm coin.

As usual the room was first suffused with the gentle warmth, and then Dorian was alighting upon the carpet, hooves sinking into it as he fully settled. His eyes were alight with eagerness as he took in Bull and Bull alone, immediately falling to his knees between his legs. “And what do you want tonight?” Dorian purred without preamble, hands rubbing up the insides of Bull's thighs.

“I was wondering if you wanted to watch a movie with me,” said Bull, nodding towards the TV. He held the bowl of stir fry against his chest, taking a bite with a small hum. Turned out perfectly.

“You...what?” Dorian twisted to look behind him, as if he hadn't even known there was a TV in here with them. He looked back at Bull's lips parted in shock. “You called me just to... just to _watch a movie_?!”

“Only if you want to,” said Bull, reaching down to comb his hand through Dorian's hair, “movies are always more fun if you have someone to cuddle with.”

“You called me just to cuddle?” Dorian's hands tightened on his thighs, and for a second Bull thought he was going to just disappear. Instead he let out a weak laugh, glancing away and relaxing his grip. “You are a very odd Qunari. I'll...watch a movie with you; but I need some energy. Please? I need more than your average Incubus.”

“Oh?” Bull unzipped his jeans, pulling out his flaccid cock, “Why?”

“What?” Dorian muttered, scooting closer to take a deep breath against Bull's cock, lips parting so his tongue could lap against his flesh.

“Why do you need more energy than other Incubi?” asked Bull, grunting as Dorian suckled at the very tip of his cock, lips nipping at his foreskin. Dorian froze, glancing up at Bull. He still had his lips wrapped around his cock, but he'd stopped running his tongue along it. He looked almost...afraid. Bull rubbed near the base of one of his horns, “Uh never mind, forget I asked.”

For now. He filed the information away, adding it to his slowly growing list of things he knew about Dorian Pavus. Dorian let out a pleased sound, relaxing once more to bob his head over Bull's prick. As usual Dorian got him hard as a rock in no time, lips dripping with spit whenever he pulled back to lap the head. His tongue, longer than that of any normal man, slid free to lick from base to tip, fist stroking up and down his spit-slicked skin.

“Ohh, fuck my mouth,” Dorian breathed, fisting his cock with a wet _slk slk slk_ sound that filled the room.

“Shit how can I say no to that?” Bull growled. He tangled his fingers in Dorian's hair, clenching tightly to force his lips back around his cock. He braced himself with one hand against the cushions, hips rolling up to send his dick shoving down Dorian's throat. Drool dripped down his shaft, Dorian's lips pressing against the coarse hair against the base of his cock every time Bull thrust up. Fuck! Dorian never choked, he never gagged, he wasn't even breathing hard. Iron Bull grabbed his face and hauled him down his prick, until his nose was pressed against his belly and Bull could see the way his throat bulged. Then he held him there.

Dorian's tail thrashed, but it didn't seem to be because he was desperate for air. Like a dog wagging his tail, he just seemed genuinely pleased with this turn of events. Iron Bull gasped and panted, looking down his body to see Dorian's eyes looking up at him from under his lashes. His lips were stretched wide around the thick base of his cock, and his spit was sliding down Bull's balls and soaking into his jeans.

“Fuck!” Bull spat hoarsely, rolling his hips just to feel Dorian's throat swallow around him, “you could do this forever, couldn't you?”

Dorian managed to preen even with his mouth stuffed full of cock. He glanced back down, working his throat again and again over Bull's prick, the tight squeeze of every swallow bringing Bull closer and closer to orgasm. Bull felt himself lock up as he came, barking out Dorian's name as that unearthly pleasure rocked down his spine and shot out his throbbing cock. Dorian swallowed eagerly, slowly pulling back as Bull's grip relaxed. He could feel energy leeched out of him with every suck as Dorian slid back up his shaft. When he popped free Dorian looked up at him, licking his lips happily.

“You taste amazing,” Dorian breathed, snuggling up between his thighs to lap and nuzzle at his softening prick.

“Shit,” Bull breathed, scratching the back of Dorian's scalp. He flopped back against the couch, letting Dorian lick until the pleasure faded into pain and he had to gently push him away. “Go, uh, go pick a movie out of my cabinet. Don't care what. I just need to... catch my breath.”

“I have that effect on people,” Dorian bragged, getting to his feet. He put his palms on Bull's thighs, leaning in to kiss him. He was slow and gentle, lips parting obediently when Bull's tongue swiped against them. They parted with a wet sound, Dorian letting out a short breath before he pushed himself back and walked over to Bull's movie cabinet. While he kneeled down to look through DVDs, Bull tucked himself back into his pants and zipped them up, trying to wipe away some drool from his thighs. Dorian was messy as fuck. He settled against the arm of the couch, watching Dorian frown at the back of one box before moving onto another.

“You know you have a shocking amount of cheesy romance movies for a giant Qunari,” said Dorian, wrinkling his nose a bit.

“I like romance,” said Iron Bull without shame.

“Yes,” said Dorian, a hint of bitterness in his voice, “I suppose I am also attracted to stories of fantasy.” He pulled out another DVD and his eyes lit up, “Oh! I know this one! This...this was a book first, wasn't it?” Dorian held up the case for Bull to inspect.

“ _Tale of the Champion_ ,” Bull read, “yeah, by Varric Tethras. Just got made into a movie last year. It's a pretty good adaptation, you want to watch that?”

“Yes,” Dorian clicked the DVD out of the case, turning on Bull's player and TV with ease. He pushed the disc in and then practically slid under Bull's arm to cuddle against his side, goat legs curling up under him as he rest his head against Bull's chest. “You know I remember when that book came out,” said Dorian as Bull picked up the remote to click play.

“Oh?” asked Bull, not wanting to sound too interested and scare Dorian off. He didn't welcome invasions into his privacy, but if he was offering...

“Mmmhmm,” Dorian rubbed his face against Bull's shirt with a deep breath through his nose. “My Father never approved of Varric's books, said they were trash. I snuck out with my best friend one night to go to the midnight release. We stayed up all night reading.”

Now that was something Iron Bull could picture in great detail, he laughed under his breath, fingers brushing along Dorian's side. “So you like to read?”

“Well, how else would a mind as sharp as mine be properly entertained?” Dorian sniffed, examining his nails.

“I don't know if Varric's books are a whetstone for sharp minds,” Bull snorted.

“Well, my Father wasn't wrong. They _are_ quite trashy,” Dorian laughed, tilting his head back to look up at Bull's face. “That's probably why I was so fond of them. I was raised from birth on the _classics_. I learned to read Ancient Tevene from a very young age just so I could enjoy them as they were 'meant to be read' as my Father put it. Varric's books were... different,” Dorian picked at the hem of Bull's white shirt, looking back at the TV screen as the movie played, “they were fun. Less concerned about the rules and more concerned about the result. We were simply _wild_ about them.”

“Hmm, I read in school, didn't get much of a chance after that,” said Iron Bull, bringing his hand up to pet through Dorian's silky hair. “I read a little here and there though, and I have a couple books scattered around the house.”

“That won't do,” said Dorian, “I shall write you an extensive list of recommendations!”

Bull snorted, “Fine, but nothing in Ancient Tevene, never managed to learn that.”

“Don't worry,” said Dorian softly, head pillowed against his chest so one hand could stroke gently along his stomach, “I've rather lost my taste for it...”

Iron Bull wanted to stay awake, he really did. Dorian was being unusually talkative tonight and there were so many things he wanted to know. However the energy Dorian had drawn out of him to remain was taking its toll. As the movie played he could feel his eye growing heavy, refusing to remain open no matter how he tried to force it. Dorian was a warm, welcome weight against his side, gasping and laughing quietly along to the movie. He was very responsive, it was more enjoyable to watch him than the actors.

He wasn't sure when, but at some point his eye shut and didn't open again.

The first thing he awoke to was the sound of birds chirping in his garden. Next, the feeling of warmth draped over top of him. Iron Bull groaned and forced his eye open, blinking blearily. Dorian was gone, he could already tell. He was laying comfortably over the couch, a blanket carefully tucked around him to keep him warm as he'd slept. The blinds had even been pulled over the great bay window to keep the morning light from streaming in.

He sat up with a stretch, feeling oddly refreshed despite the energy Dorian had taken last night. Folded up on his coffee table was a note.

_I stayed until the movie was over. I don't remember the last time I got to watch one, thank you for being... thoughtful. Below is a list of books, I expect you to start reading at least one of them immediately for discussion._

_Dorian Pavus_

Iron Bull read down the list with a fond smile. He could probably find all of these at the University library. Speaking of...what time was it? Bull set the list aside and fished his cell phone out of his pocket, turning it on to see the number 12PM flash at him.

“FUCK!” he sprang to his feet, throwing the blanket aside to rush upstairs. He had about twenty texts from Krem, starting from curious, moving to annoyed, and ending with:

_well whenever you decide to show up to do your job we're here._

Son of a bitch.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well shit, Bull feels he more than earned this weekend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always thanks to Ezno for beta-ing and Rockgaara for illustrating!!

Everyone was already well into their work by the time Bull sheepishly poked his head up over the ladder. They all gave him a hard time, asking why they could get wasted and still show up on time but he couldn't. Bull let the teasing wash over him, he deserved it. Krem wasn't nearly as angry as his texts had made him sound.

“You have fun last night?” asked Bull, kneeling beside him as they nailed in shingles together. He nudged him with his shoulder and Krem almost fell over.

“Uh, yeah,” said Krem, and he was already red and sweaty from heat and exertion so it was impossible to tell if he was blushing. Probably not, Krem could be just as shameless as Bull when he wanted to be. “Harding is a lot of fun. What about _you_? You're never late, what happened?”

“We watched a movie,” said Bull, realizing how insane that sounded out loud.

“Yes, of course you did,” said Krem dryly, “You called up an Incubus and watched a movie with him.”

“If it makes you feel better he sucked my brain out my cock,” said Bull mildly.

“Oh, Maker, no! I don't want to know the details!” Krem shoved at him and Bull laughed.

“I fell asleep on the couch, and he leaches energy like some kind of sponge. I didn't set an alarm so I just... kept sleeping,” Bull wiped some sweat from his brow, sitting back on his knees to take a short breather. “At least it's Friday, I'm ready for this fuckin' week to be over.”

“Hello?”

Bull and Krem shared a glance, “Was that for us?” asked Krem.

“Uh-”

“Can I come up?”

Iron Bull got to his feet, walking to the edge of the roof to glance down and see, of all things, another Qunari. He had one hand cupped around his mouth and one hand already on the ladder. He had curling horns and light grey hair pulled back into a messy bun. “You can't come up,” said Bull, glancing back at the Chargers who had all stopped working to just watch, “this is a work site, you don't have any safety equipment.”

The Qunari grinned, “I'll just be a moment!” then promptly began to climb. Iron Bull couldn't exactly shake him off the ladder, so he stood back as he popped up over the edge of the roof and then climbed up gracefully. He held himself well, not at all nervous about the height or the fact that he was completely unharnessed. He held out a hand to Bull, “I'm Dean Resheri Adaar.”

“Oh! The boss man,” said Bull, returning his strong handshake, “no wonder you didn't take no for an answer.”

“Ah ha,” Resheri brushed his hand through his hair, messing up his bun further, “yes, well, I didn't really want to yell and I didn't want to make you climb all the way down. I just wanted to hand out some cards for everyone.”

“Cards?” asked Skinner curiously.

Resheri reached into his back pocket, pulling out a badge, one for each of them. “These get you into lectures and classes for free while you have them. I thought, since you guys are working here, it'd be nice to give you a chance to enjoy the University on your time off.”

Iron Bull plucked one up of the badges, flipping it over in his hand. It had a barcode on it but nothing else. He tucked it into his pocket, “Hey thanks. This, uh, let us check out books from the library too?”

“Yes!” said Resheri brightly, handing out all the passes, “I also have,” he pulled out a rolled up book from his back pocket and gave it to Bull, “a list of lectures and classes we offer. I know you all work during the day but we offer things on the weekends and evenings, if you're interested.”

Rocky snorted derisively until Iron Bull handed him the book and pointed to the class on micro-brewing. “Hmmm, might be worth something,” he muttered.

“Thanks, Boss, really,” said Bull, holding out his hand for another shake. Once the Chargers were done looking, he wanted to see if they offered any... Tevinter-specific classes.

Resheri seemed pleased they had accepted, he shook Bull's hand and then started back down the ladder, “If you ever have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me or my staff.”

“Nice guy,” said Krem after he'd left, “can you imagine how much trouble we would have been in if he'd fallen off the roof?”

“Yyyeaah,” Bull shook his head and clapped his hands, “Enough laying around ya lazy bastards let's get back to work!”

“Look who's talking!” Dalish crowed.

“No respect!” Bull growled, throwing his arms in the air.

At the end of the day everyone was holding a rousing discussion about what lectures they were going to sit in on. The class catalog had been passed around, and now it was rolled up in Bull's back pocket so he could finally get a chance to see what was offered. What would be really helpful was a class called Incubi 101 but that seemed...unlikely.

“What are your plans for the night?” asked Bull, stretching his arms over his head as they loaded up all their tools for the weekend.

“Lace and I are going to see a movie,” said Krem, unbuckling his tool belt to toss it into the back of the truck, “We decided to date backwards. Start with mind blowing sex, then go on a date.”

“Yeah,” said Bull, thinking about Dorian, “not a bad way to do it. Have fun.” With Krem and the rest of the Chargers leaving to enjoy their weekends, Bull made his way back to the library. He had to at least check out one of the books Dorian had recommended to him. Iron Bull wondered how long it had been since he'd connected with someone emotionally. When had Tale of the Champion been released as a book? Bull pulled out his phone, looking through it as he entered the library.

Five years ago Tale of the Champion had been released. Five years ago Dorian had been a normal man. What had happened in those years? Bull tucked his phone away, chewing his bottom lip. He wanted to ask Dorian but suspected pointed questions wouldn't go over well, they'd never worked in the past. Iron Bull took a seat at one of the library computers, pulling out the catalog from his back pocket to flip through it.

They had classes on Tevinter History, which Bull circled but didn't think would do much for him. A class on Tevinter cuisine, which was tempting if only because some of his best memories of Seheron was some of the food. Finally a class caught his eye that might be useful; Ancient Tevene. Iron Bull immediately thought about the Grimiore tucked into the corner of the library, the closest thing he had to a lead. He didn't have to be a master at reading it, but he did have to know enough to parse together the text. Bull circled it twice and checked the times. Mondays and Thursdays from 8 to 10. He could manage that.

“Uhhh hey are you done with the computer?”

Iron Bull tilted his head back to see a nervous student hovering just behind him, though well out of arms reach. Despite having a Qunari Dean, he supposed they still weren't common this far South. “Yeah just a second,” he said, pulling up the library catalog to search for one of Dorian's books. He jot down the aisle and number before leaving the computer for the student, who looked relieved as they plopped down in the seat with a sigh.

The first book Bull had typed in was _Adventures of the Black Fox_ by Gaston Gerrault. According to the blurb on the back it was the true story of a dashing thief and rogue who inspired the common folk against tyranny. For some reason, Bull could absolutely imagine a young Dorian curled up under his blankets and eagerly reading a swashbuckling adventure of thieves and rogues. Bull tucked the book under his arm and made his way upfront to check it out.

There was a line to check out books at the front desk, so Bull slipped in and waited patiently. Speaking softly to one of the librarians, Solas stood just off to the side. He seemed to notice Bull staring because he looked up to meet his eye. He excused himself and walked over. "The Iron Bull," he said softly in greeting, standing beside him in line.  
  
"Hey, Solas," said Bull gruffly, not sure how he felt about this.  
  
"You know, I've never met a non-mage with a tie to the Fade, especially not a Qunari. You don't even dream, correct?" said Solas, taking a single step forward with him as the line crawled forward.  
  
"No," said Bull reluctantly, "but we remember."  
  
"Ah," said Solas, sounding genuinely interested, "unlike most dreamers, who go to the Fade, a non-mage Qunari merely lives out past events?"  
  
Iron Bull nodded, recalling all the times he'd woken up gasping and crying as the sound of guns and mortars and screaming filled his ears. He wished he didn't dream, or remember, or do anything but sleep. It was less common these days, but it still happened. "Does this conversation have a point?" he asked, trying to be polite about making it clear that he wasn't enjoying it.  
  
"Yes, it does," said Solas, hands folding behind his back, "you have a unique tie to the Fade. It has grown stronger since I last saw you. Why is this, I wonder?"  
  
Bull shrugged, finally reaching the front counter and setting down his book, "Dunno, don't know shit about magic crap."  
  
"That's what worries me, The Iron Bull," said Solas seriously. He placed his hands on the counter, leaning forward to try and meet Bull's eye, even as he tried to studiously avoid Solas' gaze. "You see, since you are non-magical, and ignorant of magic, it confuses me to see you so tangled up in it. I would like to speak to you in my office, run some tests if you-"  
  
"No." Bull took his book back and tucked his card away in his back pocket.  
  
"But-"  
  
"No. Thank you, but no. I've had my fair share of tests in my life, I'm sure I'm fine. If I start vomiting blood I'll find you," Bull didn't like people knowing his business before HE even knew his business, and he didn't know if he could trust Solas. Bull wasn't stupid, the tie had to be Dorian's hold on him, that connection that allowed him to come and go as he pleased so long as Bull never severed it. What if Solas severed it? It was too soon to take any drastic steps.  
  
He turned and stalked away from the counter, heading for the door. Solas seemed to appear out of nowhere, slipping in front of him and stopping him in his tracks, it was either that or run him over and he wasn't keen on injuring the faculty. "Forgive my insistence," said Solas, "I am a curious man, I may have overstepped my bounds in my eagerness to solve a new puzzle." He pulled a card out of his cardigan and handed it to Bull. "I understand if you will not see me now, but should you need to see me in the future, I insist you call me at anytime."

  
  
Iron Bull reluctantly took the card and tucked it into his pocket. Solas was some kind of Fade expert, he might come in handy. So Bull didn't reject the offer. "Sorry for being curt," he muttered. Solas nodded sharply and walked back to the front desk. Iron Bull let out a slow breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. He'd earned this weekend, that was for sure.  
  
Back home he threw his keys in the bowl. The house was silent but the summer sun shone cheerfully through his windows; Bull wandered straight into the kitchen and started working on a quick dinner. Since he was already bent over a hot stove, he didn't notice the quick spike in heat before warm hands were sliding smoothly around his back and Dorian was hugging him from behind.  
  
"You took too long to get home," he pouted, squeezing Bull almost possessively.  
  
"Heh, I stopped by the library," Iron Bull pulled his steak off the stove and slid it onto a plate with fresh leafy greens, "why don't you go see what I got, it's sitting on the couch."  
  
Dorian's hooves clicked on the tile as he pushed himself up high enough to press a short kiss against the back of Bull's neck, and then he was clopping out of the kitchen and into the living room. Dorian's gasp was audible from the living room and Bull grinned, carrying his plate of food in to see Dorian clutching the book in both hands as he stared down at the cover.  
  
"You actually took my recommendations," he said, sounding a little shocked.  
  
"Yeah, well, you seemed to know what you were talking about," Bull sat on the couch, wolfing down his dinner as Dorian flipped through the book, tail swishing idly behind him.  
  
"You're going to start reading this tonight, right?" Dorian said accusingly.  
  
"Hmmm, there's a show on tonight I wanted to catch-"  
  
Dorian narrowed his eyes at him, lips pulling into a frown, "No," he said curtly, "You're going to start reading tonight. The second you stop stuffing your face!"  
  
The heat that shot down his spine was hard to hide, so he didn't even try. Dorian sounded like a spoiled brat when he talked like that, just made Bull wanted to bend him over and stuff him with cock. Iron Bull felt an almost wicked grin slide onto his face.  
  
"What?" Dorian asked, squirming. He could probably sense or smell the arousal, if Bull had to guess.  
  
"Oh, I just love it when you think you can order me around," said Bull darkly, putting aside his empty plate, "I like it when you get bratty."  
  
"I'm not a brat," Dorian protested, but it was weak.  
  
"No?" Bull stood up, watching the way Dorian's eyes sparkled and his bottom lip pushed out.  
  
"Well, maybe a little bit," said Dorian, "are you gonna punish me for it? Give me a spanking?" His eyes were alight, cock already tenting his silk cloth. Dorian slid his hands up his chest, fingers pinching his nipples to hard peaks as he moaned softly.  
  
"Oh, I don't think you've earned a spanking," said Bull, walking over to Dorian and grabbing him to shove him over the arm of the couch, baring his asshole. His tail curled up invitingly against his back, which arched just to push his ass higher.  
"I can be brattier if it'll get me a spanking," said Dorian playfully, wriggling his ass pointedly.  
  
"You know spankings aren't effective if you're begging for them," Bull snorted, palm rubbing over Dorian's smooth ass cheek, squeezing the perfectly-rounded flesh until Dorian groaned. However Dorian very rarely asked for much, he had sex to feed; and like the night Bull had worshiped him, he got the feeling fun sex like this didn't happen that often.  
  
So he would indulge him. Bull curled one hand around Dorian's hip, the other pulling back and then swinging forward with a sharp slap against Dorian's butt. His hand was big enough to hit both cheeks at once and Dorian cried out with delight, bouncing up on the toes of his hooves as he jerked over the arm of the couch. Iron Bull wasn't too rough with him, his spankings hard enough to be felt but light enough not to do any damage. Dorian laughed and gasped over the arm of the couch, rubbing his face into the cushions as his tail thrashed and curled against his back. Bull felt a throb of intense fondness in his chest, pausing the spankings to simply rub over the red prints now littering Dorian's dark skin.  
  
"You're fuckin' amazing," he praised lowly, fingers trailing over his asshole and easily wriggling inside even without lube.

  
  
Dorian keened, pushing back against the fingers wantonly. "Oh I know," he panted, turning his head to lay his cheek against the cushions, looking up at Bull from the corner of his eye. "I'm a masterpiece."  
  
"Yeah," Bull agreed, gentle smile curling his lips as he scissored his fingers, "You spoil me."  
  
Dorian's single visible eye widened and then he was burying his face back into the cushions. If Bull didn't know better, he'd think he was embarrassed. "Get on with it, you big lug!" Dorian said, voice muffled against the couch. He lashed out with one hoof, grazing Bull's shin but doing no damage thanks to his jeans.  
  
That just got Dorian a spank with his free hand, which he didn't seem to mind at all. Bull slid his hand from Dorian's ass to his cock, which was hard and leaking between his legs. While he teased Dorian with his fingers, his other hand stroked him, squeezing out strings of precum that dripped over the side of his couch. Dorian jerked under him and Bull leaned forward, pinning him with his greater weight, not that Dorian wasn't strong enough to throw him off should he so choose. However his struggles were token, and he was moaning loudly into the couch cushions.  
  
"Please!" Dorian finally gasped out, turning his head to look up at Bull desperately, "Please fuck me! Don't tease me anymore! Please please please please!"  
  
Iron Bull pulled off his cock and removed his fingers, which were covered in some sort of clear slick. He unzipped his jeans to free his cock, aching from neglect. A quick stroke and then he pressed the head against Dorian's asshole, still just as tight as before, as if he'd never had his fingers in it. Against every instinct, he pressed forward. Despite having no lube he pushed in without resistance, and Dorian writhed and moaned beneath him. Seemed he didn't even need Dorian to lube him up with his hand; didn't need anything at all. Dorian's back arched and he pushed back, sending Bull balls deep all at once.  
  
"Dorian!" Bull grabbed his hips, trying to hold him in place as he caught his breath. "Fuck," he muttered when Dorian rolled his hips, squeezing around his dick rhythmically. Fine, if he wanted to get fucked, Bull would fuck him. He pulled back until just the bulbous head of his cock still stretched Dorian open, then slammed forward all at once, balls slapping against Dorian's ass. He set an unforgiving pace, occasionally spanking Dorian between thrusts just to hear him wail and watch the way his back arched.  
  
"Yes yes yes yes! _Fasta vaas_ , Bull! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!" Dorian rocked back and forth as Bull fucked him, yelling so loudly that Bull was eternally grateful that he didn't have anyone sharing his walls. Dorian's tail whipped by his face and then curled around his forearm loosely, the leathery arrow shape at the end pressed against his heated skin.  
  
Bull gripped Dorian's hips tighter as the molten heat of orgasm coiled in his lower belly, dragging him back into each thrust with a wet, sloppy slap of skin against skin. He bent forward, shaking off Dorian's tail to slide his hands up the curve of Dorian's back, palms resting on either side of his head as he bent down to bite the back of his neck, hips fucking forward in sharp, shallow thrusts. Dorian keened at the bite, turning his head so Bull could kiss him, even if the angle made it messy and awkward.  
  
He came with a grunt, hissing against Dorian's lips as his hips stuttered and his cock pulsed, heat flaring from the tips of his horns down to his toes which were curling in the carpet. Dorian moaned into his mouth, golden eye fluttering shut as he rolled his hips, squeezing and milking out every drop of come he could. This time the pull of energy was minute, Iron Bull could barely feel it. He pulled back with a groan, watching his softening cock slip free of Dorian's asshole.  
  
"I'm so close," Dorian panted, hand snaking between his own legs as he worked to jerk himself off, "I love feeling you come inside me, Bull, oh I- OH!"  
  
Bull fell to his good knee, grabbing Dorian by the hips to force him to flip around. He shifted the silk aside to swallow down Dorian's cock. Dorian's hands immediately curled around the base of his horns, thighs trembling as Bull sucked hard around him, bobbing and slurping loudly. It only took a moment for him to come, crying out Bull's name as he shook and shot his hot come over Bull's tongue. He tasted...odd. Not bitter and salty like regular come. He was musky, thick, addicting. Iron Bull groaned and sucked harder, drawing out as many drops as he could.  
  
"Bull!" Dorian keened, shoving lightly at his forehead, "Bull stop unless you want to go again!"  
  
He pulled back with a vulgar pop, grinning up at Dorian as he stroked his softening prick, "I'd go again, you didn't take that much this time."  
  
"That's because I want to read tonight," Dorian pouted, nudging at Bull with his hoof.  
  
"Ah, I can't say no to that face," Iron Bull sighed, pressing a sweet kiss over Dorian's bellybutton piercing, tasting the cold metal under his lips. He stood up, cupping the back of Dorian's head to draw him into a slow, lazy kiss. Dorian's lips parted, soft and responsive, tongue slipping slowly between his lips. When they parted Bull pressed their foreheads together, feeling the press of Dorian's little horns and looking into his lidded eyes.  
  
"You are very sweet," Dorian sighed, eyes slipping shut, "Giving me all these experiences that make me feel...human again." Before Bull could try and press a little, Dorian opened his eyes and pulled back, "Now let's read, please?"  
  
"Heh, yeah, let's read," said Bull, slightly disappointed that the moment had slipped by so quickly. He gave Dorian one last peck on the forehead and then pulled away to tuck himself back into his jeans. He kicked off his shoes and sat down on the couch to undo his brace before curling up against the same arm Dorian had gotten fucked over.  
  
Dorian crawled up to lay against his side, head resting against his shoulder as Bull wrapped one arm around him, the other opening the book to page one. He read the introduction from the author in silence, turning the page with his thumb. Dorian squirmed and whined, "You read too slowly!"  
  
"Are you ever not complaining about something?" said Bull without bite.  
  
"Well maybe if you didn't give me so much to complain about! Give that here!" Dorian plucked the book out of his hand, clearing his throat and snuggling closer somehow. Bull laughed under his breath, fingers stroking idly along his naked side.  
  
"The Black Fox," Dorian began to read, dulcet tones slithering through the air and painting the scene. "Who knows how much of this man is myth and how much is true. The truth and myth, so intertwined that perhaps it doesn't matter..."  
  
Dorian read without tiring for hours. He had a gorgeous voice, his Tevinter accent made for speaking. Bull resting his head against the back of the couch as the light began to fade and the shadows of his rose bushes started to crawl along the floor. Dorian didn't seem to need light to read, neither slowing nor faltering as the living room became dim, then dark, then pitch black but for the glow of his eyes, gently illuminating the page.  
  
Bull stroked his hip, fingers rolling the golden chain gently as he listened. At some point, Dorian's voice put him to sleep.  
  
_The sound of mortars. Hissrad could feel the vibrations even through his thick boots as they exploded in the distance. Beside him an Arvaard with his Saarebas stood and listened to the distant screams._  
  
_"Are we going in there?" asked the Saarebas, and when Hissrad looked at her she showed no fear._  
  
_"Yeah," said Hissrad, starting to put all his weapons into their proper holsters. A K-Bar knife for each boot, M45A1 CQBP on his right hip, and an Mk 23 Mod 0 on his left. He had rounds of ammo at his lower back, and on either side of his hip holsters. Strapped to his back he had his M16A3 rifle, with ammunition at the front of his duty belt. Finally, on a holster on his thigh, sat an M870 shotgun. Hissrad never went into battle without being loaded down with options._  
  
_Arvaard turned and grinned at him, he and his Saarebas each had a pistol on their hips, but didn't need much beyond a control rod and a mage's staff between them. "Let's give those Tevinter bas something to cry about."_  
  
_Hissrad cracked his neck, a wicked smile twisting his lips, "Let's."_  
  
_He ran out of the field tent, seeing people already working on taking them down. The lines were changing today, whether they won or lost the camp wouldn't be in the same place by tonight. Hissrad, Arvaard, and Saarebas all slid down the muddy hill that led to the bulk of the battle. The trenches were filled with a poisonous gas, forcing all the Qunari to climb out and make a stand, or die. Hissrad jumped clean over the first trench, roaring as he pulled his rifle off his back and began to fire. Bullets whizzed past his face, and Saarebas threw up a barrier that sent the one true shot pinging away into the sky._  
  
_"MEN! BREAK THEIR LINES BREAK THEIR LINES! KILL THE MAGES!" Hissrad roared, his booming voice sounding weak when compared to the mortars that sent dirt and blood flying into the air. He led the charge, the soldiers falling behind him, rallying to him as the oldest and highest ranked Qunari on Seheron. His rifle jammed during the charge and he didn't bother trying to fix it, he grabbed it by the burning barrel and threw it as hard as he could at a casting mage. It slammed into his head hard enough to crack his skull and he went down like a puppet with the strings cut._  
  
_Saarebas and Arvaard had ran just ahead of him, Arvaard had his pistol out, firing into the front lines as Saarebas sent fire rushing through the Tevinter trenches. Screams and smells of burning flesh filled the air. Barriers sprang up and were shattered, bullets sank into flesh, Hissrad kept moving. This is what the Qun demanded. This is what the Qun demanded. This is-_  
  
_A Tevinter mage crawled out of the burning trenches, protected by a powerful barrier. He had a pistol in one hand, and was raising it by the time Hissrad saw him. He yelled a warning, firing at the mage, but it was too late. The bullet caught Saarebas in the head, skull fragments shot backwards followed by a spray of blood and brains, sending her crashing to the ground without a sound._  
  
_Arvaard screamed._  
  
_"Keep it together!" Hissrad ordered, biting down on his emotions until there was time to process them. "Their line is almost broken, they are about to retreat!"_  
  
_That was until the reinforcements arrived over the crest of the hill. Hissrad stumbled back and called for the retreat. This plot of death and mud wasn't worth slaughtering his entire company to own. If the Arishok wanted to demote him, he could, but Hissrad would not watch his men slaughtered. He covered the retreat, pulling out the shotgun to shoot wildly into the mages, cutting down as many as he could to let his troop clamber up the hill on their side._  
  
_A bullet whizzed past his cheek, leaving behind an oozing cut. The next one took out his knee. Hissrad collapsed with a cry, but didn't drop his shotgun._  
  
_"Hissrad, up! Up!" Arvaard grabbed him under the arms, trying to haul him up the hill._  
  
_"Go! That's an order!" Hissrad snarled, trying to shake him off._  
  
_"No!" Arvaard grabbed the shotgun and tossed it aside, grabbing Hissrad by the arm and wrapping it over his shoulder to force him to stand on his good leg and start stumbling painfully up the muddy hill, slipping and sliding as spells and bullets and mortars flew around them. Men wailed as they died, rolling lifelessly down the hill to rest forever at the bottom. Just as they were scrambling over the crest, a stray bullet tore out Arvaard's neck. He gurgled wetly, hand scrambling over his ruined flesh, eyes wide in shock as if he couldn't believe he would die today._  
  
_Hissrad could only watch as he tumbled down the hill, to be crushed underfoot by the Tevinter mages, marching ever forward ever forward e-_  
  
"Bull!"  
  
He lashed out automatically, only to have his fist caught by someone much stronger than him. Hands grabbed him by the wrists as he thrashed, pinning him down to the-

-mattress.  
  
Iron Bull's eye snapped open to see Dorian of all people straddling him with fear in his eyes. He was breathing heavily, teeth sinking into his bottom lip as he stared down at him.  
  
"Shit, Dorian, I didn't hurt you did I?" Bull rumbled, pushing himself up to sit against the headboard as Dorian released his wrists.  
  
"No, of course not," Dorian cooed, stroking over his face and wiping the sweat away from his brow, "did you have a nightmare?"  
  
"Fuck," Bull sighed, resting his head back against the headboard, horns thunking dully against it. "Qunari don't dream, it was just a memory." One he hadn't had in a very long time. This was Solas' fault somehow, bringing it up in the library.  
  
"Do you... want to talk about it?" asked Dorian quietly, his touch soothing as he stroked Bull's cheek and temple.  
  
"Nah," Bull wrapped his arms around Dorian's waist, hugging him gently. "It's just depressing shit. Don't you usually take off after I fall asleep?" he asked, wanting to change the subject.  
  
It was hard to tell in the darkness, but Dorian seemed almost embarrassed. "I... I didn't want to leave after you fell asleep. I carried you to bed and it just looked so comfortable... you don't mind, do you?"  
  
"Course not," said Iron Bull, reaching up to brush his thumb along Dorian's cheek and the edge of his perfectly groomed mustache, "pretty fuckin' glad you're here after that memory anyway. You gonna stay until the morning? I'll make breakfast and we can read some more, or watch TV. It's the weekend."  
  
"There's nowhere I'd rather be," said Dorian, snuggling down against Bull's chest. "I don't normally sleep, you know," he murmured as Bull laid back down against the pillows. "When I'm not summoned I just drift through the Fade. Neither spirit, nor demon, nor man. It's... very lonely." Dorian rubbed his face against Bull's bare chest and added on weakly, "and no one appreciates all the things I have to say!"  
  
Bull chuckled, brushing Dorian's hair away from his face. "I appreciate all the things you have to say."  
  
"Yes," Dorian sighed softly, "you do."  
  
This time when Bull fell asleep, he remembered nothing.  
  
The next morning he woke up to Dorian pressing insistent kisses against his mouth, cheeks, eye, and forehead as he shook him lightly. "You sleep forever," Dorian complained, "Then sun is already up, Iron Bull!"  
  
Uhg it was like owning a very needy cat. Bull groaned and shoved pointlessly at Dorian, "'s th' weekend," he grumbled, "sleep!"  
  
"I don't need sleep and I got some anyway," said Dorian huffily. He caught Bull's attention when he ground back against his morning wood. "I'll make you feel good if you open your eye..." he sing-songed playfully.  
  
"Mmph," Bull groped for Dorian's hips, holding on as he rocked his cock back and forth between his cheeks. "Make me feel good and maybe I'll open my eye."  
  
Dorian sat up just enough to let Bull's prick jerk off his belly, and then he was sitting back down in one smooth slide, and just like that Bull was balls deep in his tight ass once more. He'd never get tired of that. He relaxed and let Dorian bounce over him, enjoying the lazy pace he set.  
  
"You're not opening your eye," Dorian accused, over the sound of the bed squeaking in time to his movement.  
  
"Maybe you're not pleasing me enough," Iron Bull teased. Dorian sat up and then fell back down heavily, causing them both to bounce and the bed to rock. Next time he pulled up he was clenching his asshole around Bull's flesh, letting it drag all the way up. Iron Bull hissed and pressed his head back into the pillows, grip spasming on Dorian's hips. "Fuck you win you win!"  
  
Bull opened his eye at last. Dorian was a sight behold, one hand playing with one of his pierced nipples while the other jerked his cock. The morning light illuminated his dark skin, making him look like a dream. Bull groaned under his breath when Dorian smiled at him, hips rolling in small concentric circles. He came with a short grunt, Dorian milking him until his cock ached with it and he had to still him with a gasped plea.  
  
Dorian pulled off his dick, still jerking himself frantically, clearly close. Iron Bull reached up, replacing Dorian's hand with his until he spilled all over his chest and belly, shivering with pleasure. Bull noted that Dorian hadn't taken any energy from that, or, if he had, it was so little it couldn't be felt. Dorian bent down, lapping away every rope of come that dripped along Bull's chest and stomach, until he'd wriggled his way up to his mouth and urged him into a slow, sloppy morning kiss. One of Bull's favorite kinds.  
  
"Now that you're up," Dorian purred, "you might as well get out of bed."  
  
"Yeah," Bull agreed, voice still gruff with sleep, "I guess."  
  
He rolled out of bed with Dorian slipping off just behind him. Bull didn't bother putting on his brace, which Dorian had thoughtfully brought up out of the living room to lean beside the bed. He pulled on some sweatpants and lead the way down the stairs into the kitchen. Dorian sat at the little table near the entrance to the hallway that made up his dining room to watch him.  
  
"So what did you want to do today besides read?" asked Bull, cracking three eggs into his cast iron skillet then added in some thick cuts of bacon so the grease would suffuse the eggs.  
  
"I don't know," said Dorian, his manicured nails, more like claws, tapped against the top of his table. "It's been so long since I've... since I've done anything like this," he sighed.  
  
"Well let's watch some TV while I eat, and then we'll pick up where I left off in the book," said Bull, breaking open the yolks on his eggs with a poke of his spatula. "Maybe if you want we can find some clothes for you and go to the movies. Would you wear bell-bottoms to cover those hooves?"  
  
Dorian sniffed, nose in the air, "I would kill myself before wearing bell-bottoms."  
  
Iron Bull laughed, sliding his food onto a plate. That sounded about right. Dorian lead him into the living room, urging him to sit down on the couch so he could take his usual place against his side. Bull turned on the TV, then handed the remote to Dorian to let him pick the channel. He skipped through the sports channels, lingered briefly on the news, sneered at the cartoons, and then finally settled on a documentary about the History of the Minrathous Circle.  
  
"I used to go there once," he said, pillowing his head on Bull's shoulder.  
  
"Yeah? You graduate there?"  
  
Dorian just laughed, barking right against Bull's ear, "HA! As if! I got tossed out just a year after arriving. I was far too much mage for them!"  
  
Bull snorted into his eggs, "You mean you were a spoiled little brat, right?"  
  
"Just a rebel from a young age," Dorian boasted, "I was ten times more talented than boys twice my age! I ruled when I was there! They kicked me out for 'bullying the older boys' or some such nonsense."  
  
Iron Bull had to laugh at that, he could absolutely picture a young Dorian pushing around older boys and making their lives a terror. They fell into silence as the documentary played, Dorian holding Bull's hand and idly playing with his fingers. Bull bent over to set his empty plate on the floor when Dorian wheezed beside him, going stiff.  
  
"Dorian!?" Bull sat up, grabbing him by the shoulders as he thrashed.  
  
"Ah! AH! N-No I-!" Dorian let out a wail and all at once he disappeared from between Bull's hands. The house was far too silent in his wake, with nothing but Bull's pounding heart to fill the air.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some information is gained...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Ezno for being my beta, AND GO THANK [ROCKGAARA](http://rockgaara.tumblr.com/) FOR ILLUSTRATING!!!

Iron Bull cursed his dearth of knowledge, pounding his fists against the couch as he swore. Deep breaths. Dorian was not a normal man. He also hadn't been feeding as much, so perhaps he had run out of energy. It didn't ring true, but it helped calm him down. If he didn't have all the facts, he shouldn't freak out. Bull pushed himself to his feet, hurrying upstairs to dig the gold coin out from his bedside table.  
  
"Dorian," he breathed against it, feeling the cool metal against his lips as he spoke, "Dorian please. At least let me know you're alright."  
  
Nothing.  
  
Bull let out a sound of frustration, stuffing the coin into the pocket of his sweatpants. He paced briefly beside his bed, hating that there was nothing he could do. He finally growled and picked up his jeans, digging his phone out of his pocket.  
  
Krem's number was speed dial number one. While it rang Bull hurried down the stairs to pace in his living room, where he had more space to be agitated properly.  
  
"Chief?" Krem answered on the fifth ring. He didn't sound like he'd just woke up, which was good.  
  
"Hey, you get any information on the name Dorian Pavus yet?" he asked gruffly, eye darting to the couch where Dorian had just been. He expected a negative response, Krem had been busy and some Incubus Bull was toying with wouldn't be high on his list of priorities.  
  
As always, Krem came through for him, "Yeah, I do. Can we meet at The Sleepy Mabari for coffee? I'll tell you everything I know."  
  
"Thank you, Krem!" Bull growled, clutching the phone so tightly it creaked.  
  
"Don't get too excited," said Krem seriously, "it's not...well, you'll hear it all in a bit. Let's be there in an hour."  
  
"See you there, Krem," Bull pulled the phone away from his ear, hanging up with a tap against the screen. If he just sat around here doing nothing he was going to go mad. Bull headed back upstairs to shower and dress. His shower was rushed, not taking a single extra moment to savor the steaming water like he usually did. Where was Dorian? It had looked as if someone had forced him to leave. Who? What? Why? Iron Bull growled as he shut off the water, he hated having questions and no answers. He dried himself off quickly and stormed into the bedroom. His brace was applied first, then a clean pair of jeans and a tank top that was far cheerier than he felt. “ _SUNS OUT GUNS OUT!_ ” It proclaimed, an actual graphic of the sun flexing just under the text. He fucking loved this tank as much as Krem hated it, he liked to think Dorian would have rolled his eyes but secretly enjoyed it.

Bull grabbed his wallet and Dorian's coin, stuffing both in his back pocket before he clattered downstairs into the front hallway. He scooped his keys out of his glass bowl and hurried out the door.

The Sleepy Mabari was a very popular coffeehouse in Skyhold. On a Saturday morning it was packed to the gills and loud as hell. Krem was a smart guy. Bull saw him nursing a coffee at a corner table, which was surrounded on all sides by some gossiping teenagers. Bull ordered himself a hot cocoa to carry back to the table. Krem wrinkled his nose to see the mountain of whipped cream and sprinkles that covered the top.

“You're gonna make yourself sick,” he said.

“Nah, lots of sugar lots of energy!” said Bull flexing. Behind them, some girls sighed and tittered.

Krem rolled his eyes, sipping his black coffee as they both waited for the attention of the teenagers to slip away from Bull. “Alright Krem,” said Bull quietly, “This morning Dorian just disappeared on me, but not of his own free will. Whoever, or whatever, did this to him... I need to find out how to end it. No one deserves this.”

“I don't have that kind of information,” said Krem over his cup.

“I know, but if I can trace Dorian's path, I can find someone who does,” Bull grunted, “I know he was human and in Tevinter for the release of Tale of the Champion.”

“The movie?” asked Krem, “that was just about a year ago, right?”

“Nah,” Bull shook his head, sipping from his cocoa, licking whipped cream off his lips, “the book. It was released five years ago. So what happened in those five years?”

“Now that I can answer,” said Krem, “a little.” Iron Bull was silent while Krem organized his thoughts. He set the empty coffee cup down with a muted clink, folding his hands before him on the table. “I was right when I thought I'd recognized the name Dorian Pavus. Well...perhaps not Dorian, but the Pavus bit certainly. I know you know a bit about Tevinter society so I won't bore you with the sociopolitical landscape, but Pavus Senior is a Magister. Dorian Pavus is the only son and heir to the Pavus name.”

“He reeks of old wealth,” said Bull softly, “so it doesn't surprise me too much he has ties to the political elite in Tevinter.”

Krem nodded, “There's more. What I have are mostly rumors, so take them that way. The Alti are kind of like celebrities in Tevinter, especially any family who is in the Magisterium. So,” Krem leaned forward, voice lowering slightly, “rumor has it that Daddy Pavus and his son do _not_ get along. Dorian made quite a reputation for himself as a wild man, if Daddy said jump Dorian asked how big of a pit he wanted dug. That sort of thing. It was the biggest rumor among Soporati for a while, which tells you that Dorian's exploits were big enough to keep Daddy Pavus from paying to keep them quiet. People said if you wanted to find Pavus, you went to the cheapest brothel in the elven slums and there he'd be, high off his gourd and sloshed all to hell.”

“Shit,” Bull muttered, finishing off his cocoa.

“Now,” Krem leaned back, hands in the air, “you know rumors have a way of trying to make people look extra crappy, the truth is probably far less exciting. Suffice to say, Dorian was causing trouble for the Pavus name. Dunno why. Well here's where it gets foggy,” Krem rested his arm on the table, finger jabbing down on the wood between him and Bull, “at some point the stories just... stop. Dorian slips out of the public eye completely. Only one more rumor; he ran away.”

“When? How long ago?” asked Bull sharply.

“Dunno, Chief,” said Krem, “if I knew all that it'd be a fact, not a rumor.”

“Fuck,” Bull ran his palm along his jaw, feeling the scrape of his stubble, “You think his father might have done this to him?”

“Why would he want to turn his son into an Incubus?” asked Krem incredulously, “Seems counter productive if you're trying to make your son behave.”

“Ironic punishment? Don't you 'Vints get off on that sort of crap?” Bull let out a gruff breath, shaking his head, “Nah, never mind, thanks Krem. It's a lot more than I've gotten out of him. I wonder if he didn't run away though, or maybe he tried and failed and his Father spread the rumor so no one would look for him there...”

“Or maybe he was always an Incubus, or maybe this is all a dream, or maybe you've gone batshit and we're all watching you bounce around in a padded room,” said Krem curtly, “Don't chase after rumors, Chief, and don't draw conclusions from them.”

Krem was right, as usual. Iron Bull let out a slow breath, “Yeah yeah. Thanks Krem.” He reached into his pocket, feeling the gold coin between his fingers. “I need to head back home, in case he shows back up again. Where you find that stuff, online?”

“Nah,” Krem shook his head, “You'll never find dirt like that out in the open for _everyone_ to see. A good Tevinter rumor comes from the people. Got some friends and family I emailed back there.”

Bull stood up, clapping Krem on the shoulder, “Coffee's on me, if you find out anything else then call me.” He threw down a ten dollar bill on the table, leaving his empty cup behind to be bussed.

“Don't get yourself wrapped up in anything bigger than you,” Krem warned.

Iron Bull gave him a one-eyed wink and flexed once more, “Not many things bigger than me, Kreme de la Crème!”

He left to the sound of fresh giggles from the teenage girls.

His house felt far too silent when he got back. He dumped his keys in the bowl and stood in the hallway with his hands on his hips as he tried to decide what to do with himself. Sitting around wouldn't do him any good, might as well be productive. Bull cracked his neck and decided he needed to clean up around the place, keep his mind off things.

While vacuuming the living room he caught sight of The Adventures of the Black Fox, lying ever so innocently only the coffee table. Dorian had put a slip of paper where they'd left off. They'd made it most of the way through last night, much further than Bull had thought. He could almost hear Dorian's voice, and all the little voices he'd given each character. Bull abandoned the vacuum to throw himself down on the couch, picking the book back up.

“ _I've finally caught you, Fox!” Karolis snarled, his muscular frame filled the doorway, throwing his shadow over the old wooden floorboards._

_Remi turned with a laugh, his eyes narrowed with a mischievous mirth behind his black mask, “You think that, do you? You thought the same thing in Fereldan, you thought it in Antiva, and again in Tevinter! Now here we stand back in Orlais where we began and you say it once more!”_

“ _Yeah? Well it's true!” Karolis pulled forth his twin daggers. There were no other exits beside the door. No windows, no trap doors. Remi's only way out would be through his blades!_

“ _Tsk, you have so little imagination, but I suppose you_ _ **are**_ _a Bounty Hunter,” Remi didn't even pull out any weapons, he didn't need them._

Iron Bull didn't notice how much time had passed until it began to get hard to read. Bull turned on the nearby table light, he was almost done! By the time he'd turned the last page it was pitch black outside, night had truly fallen. Bull rubbed his eye, blinking heavily with exhaustion. Dorian hadn't shown up all day, it was time to give it up. Bull tossed the book back on the table with a thunk and headed upstairs.

Hard to imagine that just this morning Dorian was shoving him awake in this bed. Bull stripped off his clothes, setting the golden coin on his bedside table before he crawled under the sheets. Bull began to doze when the heat spiked in the room. His eye snapped open just as Dorian alighted upon the carpet. Bull sat up all at once, “Dorian!”

He looked in one piece, but he had bags under his eyes, he looked crushed with exhaustion. Dorian walked to the bed sitting on the edge with a wane smile, “Didn't mean to worry you,” he said as if nothing had happened.

“What the hell happened?!” Bull yelled, “You looked like you were in pain!”

Dorian sniffed, nose in the air, “You exaggerate.”

“Dorian,” Bull growled warningly, reaching out to grab him by the wrist.

“It's fine,” Dorian grit out, yanking his hand back angrily, “You're too nosy!”

“I'm _worried_ ,” Bull said, “What was I supposed to think? You crying out and disappearing all day without a word! Dorian...” Bull reached out again, and this time he let himself be pulled into Bull's lap, “please, tell me what happened.”

Dorian's lips pursed before he buried his face against Bull's shoulder, “I was...called... please Bull, I don't want to talk about it. I can't,” he pulled back, grabbing him by the shoulders and shifting to straddle his lap, “I'm so hungry! I just want to feed, I _need_ to feed tonight!”

“Shit, yeah, okay,” said Bull, brushing his hands up and down Dorian's side. This was the most human he'd looked since Bull had met him, but not in a good way.

Dorian's frantic look softened somewhat, one hand coming up to cup the side of Bull's face, “You...really were worried about me, weren't you?”

“Yeah,” said Bull gruffly, turning his head to kiss Dorian's palm. “Why wouldn't I be?”

“ _Vehendis_ ,” Dorian breathed, brow furrowing, he opened his mouth as if to argue and then shut it with a snap. He seemed so lost and confused, incapable of processing that someone would be worried about him, or care about his well being. Fuckin' tragic is what it was. Iron Bull shifted the covers to tug them out from under Dorian, putting them fully skin to skin.

“Hey you look hungry, Big Guy, have at it,” said Bull, resting back against the headboard. Continuing this conversation looked to be too much for Dorian right now, he could always try again later.

“Yes,” Dorian breathed, pupils dilating hungrily, “Yes, lay on your back-just let me-” Dorian let out a short grunt as Bull shifted down again, head in the pillows and legs stretched out under the covers. “I'm going to take a lot,” Dorian panted, rocking over Bull, coaxing him to hardness with ease.

“Hey, it's the weekend,” said Bull with a crooked grin, “do what you need to.”

“Thank you,” Dorian bent down, capturing his lips in a hard, desperate kiss. He wasted no time, waiting until Bull was just barely hard enough and then reaching between their rocking bodies to slide him inside.

“Oh fuck!” Bull bit out, teeth sinking into his bottom lip. He could already feel it, Dorian drawing hungrily, practically forcing the pleasure just to eagerly devour it with heated breaths and long low moans. He'd never fed like this before, he'd always waited until Bull came. It was all he could do to hold on to Dorian's hips as he bounced over him.

Dorian surged down, rocking back against Bull's cock as he captured his lips in a sloppy kiss. Bull was unable to do much more than part his lips for Dorian's seeking tongue, too overwhelmed to even fight for dominance. The only thing keeping him from panic was a, perhaps misplaced, trust in Dorian.  
  
It wasn't drawn out, it wasn't even about pleasure, when Bull came Dorian drew at him harder, sucking out everything he could all in one go, wailing above him like a banshee as his back arched and his head fell back. Bull grit his teeth as wave after wave of pleasure washed over him, each one feeding Dorian until his eyes seemed to light up further and a flush trailed down his neck and chest.  
  
The last thing Bull saw before passing out were Dorian's slitted eyes, twin beacons in the encroaching darkness.  
  
He didn't dream that night.  
  
When his eye opened, sticky with sleep, his clock showed the time 4:00pm in glowing red letters. Despite his blinds being drawn, enough light snaked in to gently illuminate his room. Bull's whole body ached, his head throbbed painfully, and his stomach clenched as if he'd just gotten over a week long sickness. The taste in his mouth could only accurately be described as 'roadkill'. Sitting on his bedside table behind the clock was a tall glass of water, two pills, a folded piece of paper, and some cold congealed scrambled eggs.  
  
"Fuck," Bull hissed to himself as he sat up on one elbow, reaching out for the water and pills first. He finished the glass in a few short gulps, some of it trickling down his neck to patter on the sheets. The note was mostly crossed out, but Bull tilted the paper in the low light until he saw the indents left behind by the pen.  
  
 _Please forgive me, you don't understand-_  
  
 _I'm sorry I needed to-_  
  
 _I never want to do this but-_  
  
 _You're very important to me-_  
  
Then finally, not crossed out, just the words:  
  
 _I'm sorry._  
  
Iron Bull let out a slow breath and set the note aside. Dorian hadn't actually hurt him, he wasn't going to hold this against him as long as it didn't keep happening. Perhaps he should be more insistent about Dorian feeding every time he visited, to not let it build up like he had. Maybe that was the problem? However Dorian had looked just fine before disappearing, despite not feeding that frequently.  
  
He was too tired to parse this out. Bull gathered up the plate and ate the eggs, both cold and a little burnt, without really tasting them. Dorian probably hadn't made food in a long time; he'd tried. Bull set the empty plate back and then collapsed back in bed with a tired sigh. He slapped at his clock until his alarm was set for tomorrow morning, and he fell right back asleep in moments.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the first day of Ancient Tevene for Bull

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Ezno for being my beta! And to Rockgaara for illustrations!!

Bull awoke to his alarm, and though his limbs felt stiff and his head heavy, it was a marked improvement from yesterday. Dorian hadn't been by at all, there were no new notes or glasses of water to mark his passing. Bull pushed himself reluctantly out of bed and stumbled to the shower. Today was going to be a full day. He had work, and then his first Ancient Tevene class right after. He turned on the shower, setting the temperature of the water as hot as he could possibly stand it, just under scalding, and then stepped under the hard spray.  
  
It woke him up instantly, driving away the cotton in his head and relaxing his stiff muscles. With those discomforts solved, his belly rumbled loudly to protest only eating scrambled eggs yesterday. Cold, burnt, scrambled eggs. He shut off the shower, drying off and getting dressed for the day in his usual work clothes. The cup and plate he carried with him downstairs into the kitchen. He'd expected somewhat of a mess, but Dorian had dutifully cleaned everything he'd used and set it all out to dry on a towel.  
  
Bull could just imagine him cooking in here, hooves clopping on the tile as he shifted his weight a little nervously, attempting something he hadn't had to do in a very long time. If ever, he'd probably had slaves cook for him Tevinter. Bull made himself up a fat omelet, thick with all kinds of fillings. He had to gain back as much energy as he could before crawling all over a roof for ten hours.  
  
Just before leaving he grabbed up The Adventures of the Black Fox to return to the library. Folded up beside it was Dorian's rec list. Bull crossed the book off of it and stuffed the list in his back pocket, he'd look it over more closely at the library. He could only hope last night hadn't marked a change in Dorian, that he would still open up to him. Only one way to find out.  
  
Iron Bull arrived at the University just before the rest of the Chargers did. When Krem helped him unload the ladder he shot him a pointed glance, "You look tired, Chief," he said under his breath, words masked under the general loudness of everyone else.  
  
"Yeah, Dorian showed back up," said Bull lowly, "and he was _hungry_."  
  
"Did he hurt you?" Krem hissed, looking him up and down as if he could tell just from a glance.  
  
"Nah," said Bull, "he didn't. Just... wore me out."  
  
"Hmph," Krem made it clear he didn't find that an acceptable answer.  
  
While the others climbed up the ladder to the roof, tool belts on and tools over their shoulders or in big duffel bags, Bull squeezed Krem's shoulder, "I promise, no harm no foul."  
  
"You're too nice for your own good, Chief," said Krem, but that was the end of the conversation. They climbed up and started working. Bull felt his energy return as he worked, muscles stretching and warming up as the sun moved higher in the sky, causing them all to sweat like crazy. During lunch they all listened to Rocky's telling of his first day at the micro-brewing class. To no one's surprise but Rocky's, it had ended in a small explosion, completely baffling the teacher.  
  
"What about you, Boss?" asked Stitches after Rocky had finished his story, "You gonna take advantage of any of the classes?"  
  
"Yeah, gonna take the opportunity to learn a new language," said Bull, licking some mustard off his fingers.  
  
"How many languages do you need to know?" Skinner asked, brow furrowing incredulously, "How many do you know now?"  
  
"Just a few," said Bull mildly.  
  
"Only a few," Dalish mocked, dipping her voice to try and match Bull's, "Only Trade, Qunlat, Orlesian, Riviani, and..." she paused with a frown on her fifth finger.  
  
"Antivan, passably anyway," said Bull reluctantly.  
  
"So what could they possibly have you don't already speak?" asked Skinner.  
  
"Ancient Tevene," said Bull, ignoring Krem's snort, "You can never learn too much."  
  
Grimm let out a humming noise. It could have been him finishing his sandwich, but Iron Bull took it for him agreeing. "Yeah, Grimm gets me!" Bull growled, clapping him on the back. Grimm coughed but didn't argue. As if he could.  
  
"Sounds boring," Rocky yawned pointedly.  
  
"Aright," Bull growled, "everyone back to work!"  
  
Come five, Bull was climbing off the roof with everyone else. Plenty of daylight left, but they were making good time, and he needed to wash his face a little before showing up to class and returning his library book.  
  
The library, as always, was bustling with student activity when Bull arrived. He slipped Black Fox into the return bin and pulled Dorian's list out of his pocket. He had something from Varric on here, "Hard in Hightown". There were actually three of them, so Bull grabbed all of them off the shelf.  
  
When he got to the front he half expected Solas to be hanging around, but instead Resheri had his arms full of textbooks, handing them over the counter to one of the librarians. He looked up when Bull reached the counter and put down his books.  
  
"Hello, a fan of Varric's?" he asked, seeing the titles as they were scanned, one by one.  
  
"Maybe I'm about to be," said Bull, leaning against the counter to grin at Resheri.  
  
"I'll let him know he's got a new fan," said Resheri.  
  
Iron Bull started slightly, "Wait, you know him? Personally?"  
  
"Varric and I have been good friends for years," said Resheri cheerily, and Iron Bull got the impression that he made friends with most of the people he met.  
  
"You know..." said Bull slowly, taking back his checked out books, "I know someone who's a huge fan, it'd mean a lot to him if he met the author, I'll bet. Varric got any appearances planned? He local?" Bull already had a plan forming.  
  
"Not local, no," said Resheri, following Bull as they both stepped out of the way of the line behind them, "He lives in Kirkwall, but he is in town right now. If you give me your number I can text you after I talk to him. I know he wasn't planning anything but..."  
  
Iron Bull jotted down his cell number and handed it over, "Yeah I get it. If he doesn't want to that's fine but if he plans any impromptu talks or appearances I want to know."  
  
Resheri slipped the scrap of paper into his pocket, "Of course, take care, The Iron Bull."  
  
If anything could get Dorian out of his self imposed shell, it would be meeting the author to some of his favorite books. Bull walked from the library to his class, where people were already starting to gather. It wasn't a very large class, and it took place in one of the tinier auditoriums. Bull sat down near the front, in one of the desks big enough to fit him, and set his Hard in Hightown books at the corner of his desk.  
  
The other students gave him odd looks, but no one tried to talk to him as they took their seats. At six sharp, two men walked through the door. "Alright quiet down, quiet down!" said the older man, shushing the chattering students immediately, "I hope you all did your- oh... you're new."  
  
Bull nodded curtly, "Yep, got a pass for free classes for the summer, decided to use it."  
  
This guy, and what had to be his son, were obviously 'Vints. That only made sense, who better to teach Ancient Tevene? If Bull decided to learn Elvish he'd want to learn from an Elf. However with him being Qunari he wondered if it was going to cause any problems. He was the only Qunari in the class, honestly, one of the only ones wandering the campus beside Resheri.  
  
He was a little surprised when the man walked up the two steps it took to get to his row and held out his hand, "Always glad to see someone pursuing knowledge, no matter who, or what, they are. I am Professor Gereon Alexius , and this is my son and TA, Felix."

  
  
Alexius had a good, strong handshake. "The Iron Bull, it's a pleasure," said Iron Bull mildly.  
  
"You haven't missed too much, the summer semester has just began." said Alexius, stepping back down the stairs, "I even have a spare textbook you can borrow. Felix where did I put that- ah here it is." He grabbed a thick book out of his desk and walked it back over to Bull, handing it up to him, "Keep it until the end of semester."  
  
Iron Bull took the book, flipping through it as Alexius walked to the center of the room and clapped his hands together sharply, "Enough lollygagging, it's time to do some real work! The rest of you have an assignment due, please set it on the desk for Felix to grade while we discuss sentence structure and the use of nouns in-"  
  
Alexius was a decent enough teacher, and he seemed like a good guy. Bull watched him carefully, as accepting as he was, and Bull did not think he was putting on a front there, there was something...off...here. Alexius' eyes were never still, they were always darting to Felix no matter what he was doing. For a while Bull watched Felix, trying to decide what Alexius was looking at. However he seemed a perfectly healthy young man, nothing to worry about. He was quiet as he sat behind the desk and graded assignments.  
  
Ancient Tevene had the most in common with Antivan, Bull's weakest current language. It also had some roots of Orlesian. Speaking it would not be difficult, Bull was sure he could learn with ease, but to read it was another beast entirely. It had a totally foreign system of punctuation, and the alphabet was archaic to say the least.  
  
"Now, for Thursday I want ten basic sentences written out. Things like 'I cast the spell' or 'The Magisterium is over there', understood?" Alexius was erasing everything he'd written on the chalkboard, and Felix was handing out the freshly graded papers. He had to pass by Bull to get to a student sitting at the other end of row. Their eyes met briefly and Bull felt a jolt of recognition. The shape of the body, the set of the shoulders. This was the student who had been staring at him and Krem last week.  
  
The moment passed, Felix didn't give him a backwards glance as he moved forward. He had a hunched posture, like a man who was used to being very weak but wasn't anymore. Bull scooped up his armful of books, wondering if he should invest in a backpack when Alexius said, "The Iron Bull, a moment, if you please."  
  
Bull stepped down to stand behind Alexius as he clapped chalk dust off his hands, "Yeah?"  
  
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think you were born Tal-Vashoth," said Alexius, "you actually look like a Seheron veteran to me."  
  
"Good eye," Bull grunted reluctantly, "what about it?"  
  
"Barbaric," said Alexius with surprising vehemence. "The way we fight over that horrible little island, so many lives lost."  
  
"I agree it's a horrible little shithole," said Bull, not sure where this was going.  
  
Alexius let out a small breath, and his eyes darted once more to Felix, who was putting on his jacket. "There are other things we should be fighting, I just want to make it clear that no matter our histories, Qunari and Tevinter, I really am pleased to have you in my class. Are you still Qunari?"  
  
"No," said Iron Bull, reaching up to lightly touch his eye patch, "They made me choose between them and something I couldn't give up."  
  
"We're no stranger to difficult choices," said Alexius gravely.  
  
"Nah," Bull agreed, "most people aren't."  
  
Back home he found Dorian sitting on his bottom step looking forlorn. He perked up the moment Bull opened the door, tail waving and thrashing eagerly, "Bull," he said quickly, darting forward, hooves clipping over the hardwood floor in his hallway, "Bull I must apologize for how I behaved I shouldn't have been so rough with you- I mmph!"  
  
Iron Bull hauled him into a kiss, silencing any further apologies with his tongue. "Mmmm," he hummed, slapping Dorian playfully on the ass, "enough of that. You didn't hurt me. Are you feeling better?" He looked a lot better, skin as smooth and as blemish free as it had ever been, eyes glowing and sharp.  
  
"Yes," said Dorian, arms coming up to wrap around Bull's neck, "much better." He seemed to notice the books for the first time, grabbing them out from under Bull's arms to look at them. The Ancient Tevene textbook he wrinkled his nose at, tossing it uncaringly onto the floor. The Hard in Hightowns had him crowing, "You got all of them! Yes, they are fast reads," he carried them into the living room, nose already stuffed into the first one, "can't ever accuse Tethras of writing a complicated book," he continued, completely out of Bull's line of sight.  
  
He shook his head, fondness beating at his chest as he bent down to scoop up the textbook and carry it into his kitchen. Probably best if he studied away from distractions like the TV, and Dorian. He sat down, opening the book to the first lesson to try and catch up to the rest of the class.  
  
Dorian, it seemed, would not be ignored. He clopped into the kitchen with his hands on his hips, bangles jingling around his wrists as he huffed, "What are you doing, I thought we would read!"  
  
"I am reading," said Bull innocently, turning a page in his textbook, "I'm reading about Ancient Tevene."  
  
"Terribly dry," said Dorian, sitting next to Bull with a frown, hands clasped between his thighs as he glowered at the textbook. "Why do you even want to learn? It's a dead language!"  
  
"Dead but not gone," said Bull, thoughts lingering on the library book that might hold the answers he sought, "besides, I like languages. Never hurts to learn another one. You can either distract me and this can take all night, or you can help me and then we can do something fun, like read Hard in Hightown together."  
  
"Hmmm," Dorian gave him a sly look, fingers brushing along the patch of hair under his lip. "Alright, I'll help," he said at last. He splayed his hands out over the table, scooting closer so they were sitting with Dorian's shoulder pressed against his arm. "What is your goal for the night?"  
  
"We need ten basic sentences written by Thursday," said Bull.  
  
"I can write them for you!" said Dorian eagerly, "Then you won't have to worry about it."  
  
Iron Bull laughed, "No, I think not. If you help me understand how to write my own sentences I'd appreciate it."  
  
Dorian let out a breath, cheeks puffing up as he rolled his eyes, "Yes, I was worried you might be like this. One of _those_ types. Very well, we'll start with the very basics of the alphabet. Since the Trade alphabet is an evolved version of Ancient Tevene, that will be our basis."  
  
Dorian gathered up pens and paper and began to explain, laying out all the symbols and their closest counterparts in Trade. The textbook had a similar diagram, but Bull would rather listen to Dorian any day. He had the makings of a good teacher, though he wasn't terribly patient and he had a way with insults that would no doubt not go over well in a healthy classroom. Bull just had to kiss him now and again, derailing the lesson as Dorian let out needy little chirps into his mouth.  
  
"Enough," he panted after Bull had done this for the fifth time that hour, "I can't stand this anymore!"  
  
"I can stop if-oh," Bull spread his legs as Dorian fell to his knees under the table, fingers deftly undoing his jeans.  
  
"Keep working!" Dorian snapped, fingers gentle as he pulled Bull's flaccid cock free. "If I hear that pen stop, I stop!"  
  
"Yes Professor," Bull grinned, looking under the table to see Dorian glaring at him.  
  
"You call me that again and I leave!" he hissed.  
  
Iron Bull laughed, "Alright alright, Dorian. Mmmph shit yeah," he breathed as Dorian's lips closed around the very tip of his dick, suckling as if it were the sweetest candy he'd ever tasted. Iron Bull got back to copying his letters, burning them into his memory with every repetition. He was glad it took little actual thought, because Dorian was doing a very good job of sucking his brain out his dick.  
  
He was being messy today, sucking and slobbering all up and down his shaft, tugging down his pants far enough to tongue his balls, sucking one between his lips and then pulling back with a vulgar pop. Dorian really did suck cock like he needed it to live. Iron Bull groaned but dutifully kept his pen scratching over the paper, with those large pointed ears, Bull could only assume that Dorian had superior hearing to go with his supernatural strength and ability to see in the dark.  
  
"Fuck," Bull bit out, holding the paper down with a forearm so he could let his other hand slip under the table to cup the back of Dorian's head as he bobbed up and down his cock. His pen faltered and some of his letters were messy, but he didn't stop. "If I get a boner during any tests it's going to be your fault," he groused.  
  
"Mmm!" Dorian let out a hum of delight, sending a shiver down Bull's spine.  
  
"Yeah you _would_ like that," Bull grumbled, that throb of fondness nearly stealing his breath. Dorian sucked harder, taking Bull all the way down his throat and held him there, swallowing rapidly around him. Fuck fuck fuck! Bull dropped the pen, both hands cupping Dorian's face to hold him there and fuck his mouth frantically. Dorian's hands were clenched almost painfully over his thighs, and Bull could hear his tail occasionally slapping over the tiles.  
  
His orgasm tonight almost seemed an apology for Saturday night. Not frantic, but long and drawn out, like a lazy morning kiss. Dorian swallowed every drop of come, siphoning off a little energy from every wave of pleasure he bestowed upon Bull.  
  
It left him slouching bonelessly in his chair, looking down as Dorian slowly pulled himself off his dick, that bulge fading from his throat until the whole thing popped free, dripping liberally with spit. Dorian's lips were slightly red and swollen, but his eyes sparkled as he gave the tip of Bull's cock a cute little kiss before he practically oozed his way up into Bull's lap.  
  
He gave Bull a salty kiss and then turned to look at his increasingly sloppy letters. "Hmmm, I think that'll do for tonight, don't you?"  
  
"Yeah," Bull breathed, "you win, we'll read now."  
  
Dorian gave him another kiss and then slipped out of his lap, leading the way into the living room. Bull sighed, gathering up his and Dorian's notes to shut them inside the textbook before following. Tonight he laid out over the couch completely, head pillowed against the armrest as Dorian made himself very comfortable on top of him. Dorian opened the book to chapter one, cleared his throat, and began to read.

  
“ _They say coin never sleeps, but anyone who’s walked the patrol of Hightown market at midnight might disagree. The pickpockets and confidence men head to the taverns at dusk, the dwarven businessmen and nobles go back to their tiny palaces to fret over the ways they got cheated, and the market falls silent._

  
_Donnen Brennokovic knew every angle of the market with his eyes closed. Twenty years of patrols had etched it into him so that he walked that beat even in his dreams. The recruit, Jevlan, was another story. The ring of steel striking stone told Donnen that the kid had stumbled into a column again. His new armor would be full of dents by sunrise._ ”

  
Iron Bull relaxed, drifting as he listed to Dorian read to him. Like always he had voices for all the characters, from gruff and manly for Donnen to a little reedy for Jevlan. When Bull felt his eye getting heavy he stretched, jostling Dorian over him and cause him to stutter to a stop with a small sound of outrage. “I know you don't need to sleep,” said Bull with a yawn, “but I do, and I have work tomorrow.”

  
“Just call in sick,” Dorian pouted, “we're just getting to the good part!”

  
“Tomorrow.”

  
“Uhg, fine,” Dorian slid off of him, slipping a bookmark where they'd left off as Bull got to his feet, audibly popping his back.

  
“You're welcome to stay,” said Bull, hoping Dorian would take him up on it. He rather liked waking up with someone in his bed.

  
Dorian bit his bottom lip, and he looked very tempted. “I...I shouldn't,” he shook his head, “maybe some other time. It costs energy to remain for so long, I don't want to wake you during the night to feed.” Instead Dorian swept forward, wrapping his arms around Bull's neck to pull him down into a slow, lingering kiss. Sweet, and oddly intimate even considering how they'd first met. It wasn't a kiss for pleasure, it just...was. Bull leaned into it, arms wrapping around Dorian's waist, trying to get him to linger just a bit longer.

  
“Ah,” Dorian licked his lips as he pulled back, eyes lidded, “I'll see you tomorrow, Iron Bull, we'll continue where we left off.”

  
“Goodnight, Dorian,” said Bull warmly. Dorian raised his hand in goodbye, and then with a gentle golden light he was gone.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iron Bull takes Dorian out for a special reason

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha ha! Thanks for being patient while we took a week break for the holidays! But now it's smooth sailing until the end!
> 
> As always, the lovely and very talented [Rockgaara](http://rockgaara.tumblr.com/) has provided art for this chapter! Please go say the nicest of things to her.

"Shit there's more rot here than we expected," said Bull, scratching where the skin broke over his horns. The Chargers crowded around him as they looked at a part of the roof they'd just worked over to. Luckily it was Rocky who had found it, Bull would have found it by falling right through it. "Tear it out to the frame," he ordered, "let's get this taken care of!"  
  
By the time the sun set he was properly exhausted, as any good roofer should be. Everyone covered the roof with a tarp, there had been rumors of rain. If it rained tomorrow they wouldn't bother coming in to work, not much they could do. The tools were removed completely, to keep them out of the rain, and the supplies were covered and lashed down.  
  
"We might get a little mid week vacation!" said Dalish cheerily, looking up into the sky where clouds were beginning to gather.  
  
Bull grunted, "Don't get too excited."  
  
It started to rain in earnest when he got home, big fat drops pattering into his wild garden as he hurried to his front door and slipped inside. He shook drops of water off his horns, dropping his keys into their bowl on his way to the kitchen. He fried himself up a quick steak and made a small salad. He walked into the living room to see Dorian kneeling at the cozy reading bench fitted into his bay window, staring outside as rain clinked against the glass and trickled down into the rose bed. He turned to look at Bull as he sat on the couch, lips curling into a pleased smile.  
  
"Has it been raining like this all day?" he asked, turning back to the window.  
  
"Nah," said Bull, throwing his feet up on the coffee table and flipping on the TV, "just started as I was getting home. When'd you show up?"  
  
"Just a moment ago," Dorian murmured, lightly touching the cool glass. "This rain reminds me of the Minrathous Circle," he said, voice distant, "They'd put me in my room and lock me in when I got in trouble. I'd sit by my little window and watch the summer storms rage outside, I'd picture slipping out the window and running away..."  
  
"Did you?" asked Bull, tearing into his steak hungrily.  
  
Dorian snorted, finally unfolding himself from the reading nook to walk over to Bull, "No, though I did get kicked out so I achieved the same thing. Just got sent to another Circle." He laid himself out on the couch next to Bull, resting against him. "Do you know how many fires you can start in a prestigious institution before not even your Father's power and money can keep you there? I do!" said Dorian smugly.  
  
"And what's that number?" Bull grinned.  
  
"Just guess," said Dorian playfully.  
  
"Hmmm, three," said Bull, setting his empty plate aside.  
  
"Terrible guess," Dorian laughed, "the answer is twenty small fires, an undead dog, a blizzard, and over one hundred complaints from upperclassmen."  
  
Iron Bull snorted, "That's how much you did before the Circle had enough of you?"  
  
"Mmhmmm," Dorian moved to straddle his lap, one hand snaking between their bodies to knead at Bull's cock through his jeans. "Mind if I...?"  
  
"Hell no," said Bull, flicking and tugging on the piercings in Dorian's nipples.  
  
"Good," Dorian purred, unzipping his jeans to pull him out. He stroked Bull to hardness, covering him with that slick he summoned. Dorian arched as Bull pinched his nipples, groaning happily with every twist and pull. "Oooh I, ah, mmm, I was transferred to another Circle," Dorian breathed, sinking onto Bull's cock.  
  
Iron Bull slid his hands down to Dorian's hips, just listening to him talk as he started to roll his hips. He was being more forthcoming than usual tonight, and he didn't want to do or say anything that would stop him. Bull twisted the silk cloth on his golden chain, keeping it out of the way as Dorian started to really fuck himself on Bull's cock.  
  
"Ah ah ah! My Father told me that once my education was complete, I would be married. I would continue the Pavus line mmmm oh Bull this cock is so perfect!" Dorian bit his bottom lip, squeezing around Bull's prick. "I didn't want that," he panted, slowing down again as if to savor the feeling of Bull, stretching him wide.  
  
"You didn't want marriage?" asked Bull, voice gruff with pleasure. Dorian was a tight, hot sheath around his cock, always moving and squeezing just right. A lesser man would have come by now, but Bull prided himself on his stamina.  
  
Dorian glared at him, but it had no heat, "To a woman? To do what my parents did and live in mutual hatred for one another? I'd be expected to fuck her and produce heirs, and aaah oh Bull do I seem the type to give up a nice, thick, juicy cock?" Dorian's eyes lidded, lips curling into that familiar wicked smile.  
  
"Be a shame if you did," said Bull, toes curling the carpet, "you take it like a pro."  
  
"I am a pro," Dorian sniffed, "even before I was like this!"  
  
Iron Bull reached up, cupping the side of Dorian's face gently. Dorian slowed his bouncing, until he was doing little more than lazily rocking his hips, "What happened?" he asked softly, thinking of Krem's rumors.  
  
"It's best not to talk about what it led to," said Dorian quietly, turning his head to kiss Bull's palm. "Suffice to say, absolutely no one ended up happy."  
  
"I could help you," said Bull, thumb brushing along Dorian's temple, "if you told me I could-"  
  
"No," said Dorian, eyes filled with a pain Bull couldn't begin to describe. "No, you can't. And I don't want you to. I want you here," he raised his hips, lowering them back down in a way that made Bull wheeze, "safe. Warm. Mine. It's enough."  
  
_It shouldn't have to be_ , Bull thought but didn't say. He was afraid if he said more he'd scare Dorian off. Instead he dug his heels against the floor, arms wrapping around Dorian to pin him against his chest. Then he started to thrust up, thighs slapping wetly against Dorian's ass as he fucked him hard, feeling his cock rub and smear precum along his belly.  
  
"Yes yes yes yes!" Dorian chanted, burying his face against Bull's chest, teeth nipping at his shirt.

  
“You know what you'd look pretty in?” Bull growled, bringing the conversation back on solid ground.

  
“A-anything!” Dorian gasped out, doing his best to sound haughty.

  
“Ropes,” Bull said lowly, “tied up in bed for me, completely at my mercy-” Dorian moaned loudly before he managed to muffle it by sinking his teeth into Bull's shoulder. “Unf, yeah, you like that thought, Dorian?”

  
“Nnng!” Dorian keened around the flesh of Bull's shoulder.

  
“We can have all sorts of fun,” Bull whispered, hips stuttering in their hard rhythm as he got closer and closer to coming.

  
“B-Bull!” Dorian pulled back, arching as he rubbed his cock against Bull's belly, rutting like an animal. Iron Bull slipped one hand between them, grabbing Dorian's prick to stroke him in time with his thrusts. Dorian came first with a small sound, head dipping to hide his eyes as he shuddered and spilled himself all over Bull's shirt. Iron Bull stroked him through it, that heat building until he too tumbled over the edge. Dorian panted against his neck, drawing only a miniscule amount from Bull's orgasm. If he wasn't attuned to the feeling, he may have missed it.

  
“Dorian...” Bull wanted to ask if he'd taken enough but he was silenced with a kiss. Dorian looked at him from under his lashes.

  
“Can we read now? We left off at the best part,” he said breathlessly.

  
“Shit...yeah, of course,” Iron Bull stroked the side of his face with his clean hand, “Just let me clean up and get changed, and we'll pick up where we left off.” Bull carefully shifted Dorian off of him, standing up to head upstairs and change into a clean pair of sweatpants, shirt and jeans getting thrown into the wash. The rain was still pounding on the roof, filling the house with a comforting ambient noise. Iron Bull removed his brace upstairs and then walked back down to see Dorian sitting cross-legged on the couch with the book in his lap.

  
“When we left off our hero Donnen was sitting in a cafe with Lady Marielle, and she was being followed,” Dorian cleared his throat as Bull plopped down on the couch beside him, feet resting comfortably on the coffee table. “ _They say you can buy anything in the Lowtown Bazaar..._ ”

  
As before, Iron Bull called a stop to it with a jaw-cracking yawn. “I've reached my limit Big Guy, we'll finish it tomorrow night.”

  
“But we're almost done!” said Dorian with clear frustration, “just another hour or so!”

  
“Yeah? Well in twenty minutes I'm going to start snoring,” said Bull, pushing himself to his feet.

  
“Hmph, you're such a spoilsport,” Dorian groused, arms crossed over his chest.

  
Iron Bull glanced out the dark window, rain still pounding against it. Even harder than earlier. He was starting to think Dalish was right, they wouldn't be going in tomorrow. Bull ruffled Dorian's hair as he walked by, just to have it slapped away with a disgruntled sound. “Hey, tomorrow might be a free day... I'll summon you if it is and then we can finish it in the morning, alright?”

  
Dorian reached out, taking his hand and squeezing it, “I'd like that, I-” something lingered on the tip of Dorian's tongue, but he swallowed it down. Bull curled his fingers, tangling them with Dorian's smaller ones.

  
“You can stay, if you like,” Bull offered, hoping against hope that Dorian would take him up on it. Wishing to wake up to him once more, even if he was shaking him awake.

  
“I wish I could,” said Dorian, and his voice was filled with such longing it made Bull ache for him all over. “Yet.. I can't. As soon as you wake up you can call me though.”

  
“Then that's what I'll do,” Bull promised, it would do no good to argue with him. Whatever reasons Dorian had for slipping away were his own. Bull was keeping his own secrets. Dorian beamed at him, getting gracefully to his hooves and wrapping his arms around Bull's shoulders to pull him down into a quick kiss. He was gone before Bull could wrap his arms around him.

  
He slept poorly that night, tossing and turning as the rain pounded against his roof. It just reminded him of Seheron, of a tropical storm slamming down on his tent, until even the treated canvas leaked. Thankfully when he did manage to sleep, he didn't remember anything. The moment his eye opened come morning, he knew there would be no work done on the roof. The rain was still tapping at his window like a lover throwing rocks trying to get his attention.

Bull stretched, sitting up and grabbing the golden coin off his bedside table. “Dorian,” he called, pushing himself up and twisting his legs over the edge of the bed so he could sit with the blankets twisted around his waist. He only had to wait a few short seconds before a comforting heat was washing over him and Dorian was wriggling into his lap.

  
They shared a kiss, but before it could grow too deep, Dorian was tugging on him to go downstairs where the book waited. Iron Bull had to laugh, he was an eager man. Just over a week ago he'd met Dorian for the first time, and given not a hint of his personality. He had seemed to be nothing more than sex on legs, a thing but not a person. Whittled down to sarcasm and seduction. Now he was sarcastic, sweet, spoiled, seductive, and surprisingly sincere. Multifaceted, human. If Bull had had doubts that Dorian had once been a normal man, they would have been washed away in their entirety.

  
While Dorian got settled on the couch, Bull poured himself a bowl of cereal to munch on. Outside the rain washed down his bay window, sounding more cozy than threatening as it had last night on his roof. His wild garden would be happy, the flowers blooming with extra zeal. Dorian settled against him to read while Bull ate, voice drowning out the rain.

  
Iron Bull was glad he'd decided to go to bed when he had last night, because Dorian's hour estimate was off. It wasn't until two hours later that he shut the book with a contented sigh, practically glowing with happiness. "I haven't read that in ages," he said, staring down at the cover, which was covered in plastic, as most library books are.

  
"That was... something," said Bull, pushing himself to his feet to deposit his empty bowl in the sink.  
  
"You didn't like it?" Dorian sounded scandalized, and a little bit like he was ready to fight about it. Iron Bull didn't think Varric's books were good enough to fight over, but he recognized that they held a special significance for Dorian.  
  
"Nah it's not that," said Bull, "I mean, the fight scenes were pretty great. But his interrogation method is all over the place!"  
  
"And what would you know about it?" Dorian scoffed, following Bull into the kitchen.  
  
Bull gave Dorian an enigmatic smile, "Oh, not as much as Varric I'm sure."  
  
Dorian narrowed his eyes, "You're not telling me something."  
  
"Hey, man has gotta have his secrets!" Bull laughed, pulling out pots and pans to make himself something more substantial than cereal.  
  
Dorian got an odd look on his face, blinking briefly as he took a seat at the table, "Come to think of it, Iron Bull... I know every little about you outside this house."  
  
Bull cracked eggs into one pan, adding in some meat and vegetables to let it all sizzle together. He supposed Dorian was right, he'd always whittled information out of him, but never offered much about himself. "That's hardly fair," said Bull, scrambling up the eggs with his spatula, "Ask away."  
  
Dorian's tail waved lazily behind him as he rested his chin in his hand, watching Bull move around the kitchen. "Where were you born?"  
  
"Par Vollen," said Bull, putting some toast in the toaster, "and before you say anything, yeah, I was Qunari. I didn't start Vashoth."  
  
"But you're not anymore?" said Dorian hesitantly, Iron Bull couldn't help but feel a twinge of annoyance at how relieved he sounded.  
  
"No," said Bull, stirring the eggs up to keep them from burning. "No I... I left that behind a few years ago."  
  
"What was it like?" asked Dorian, thankfully dropping the subject, "growing up there? You hear all sorts of stories in Tevinter but most of them are so outlandish you can tell they're trite propaganda."  
  
"Like what?" asked Bull, throwing Dorian a grin over his shoulder, "That we're born in fields like cows and rut like animals?"  
  
Dorian licked his lips, eyes darting down to Bull's ass, "Well, I already know you rut like an animal. I like that part."  
  
"Typical," Bull snorted. "Par Vollen is more technologically advanced than most places. We had the best education available, it was mandatory but free. It's true they slate us for a specific job at a young age, but the Tamassrans are good at what they do, and if it's found you grow up to be ill suited to a job, they _will_ switch you into something you're better at."  
  
Dorian was scowling as Bull plated his food and buttered his toast, "Yes but you don't _choose_ what you want to do!"  
  
"Did you?" asked Bull, mouth already full of food before he'd even sat down, "how many of your choices were your own when you were a kid?"  
  
"That's different," Dorian muttered.  
  
"Is it?" asked Bull. "My Tama is," Bull chewed reflectively, "she's sort of like a mother, but to a whole bunch of little Imekari she isn't related to. However there's no pressure for her to continue a line, she's not picking jobs for us based on her own glory and self interest, she's picking things based on _our_ self interest. As far as I'm aware, it's not like that in Tevinter, is it?"  
  
Dorian stubbornly didn't meet his eye, which said more than words ever could. "So...what did she pick for you?"  
  
"Well, she thought I'd make a good member of the _Antaam_ first, a foot soldier." Bull flexed, watching the way Dorian melted just a little. "I was bigger and stronger than kids older than me."  
  
"Oh? Were you troublemaker like I was?" asked Dorian slyly, eyes still on Bull's biceps.  
  
"Nah, well," Bull grinned, shoving some eggs onto a piece of toast and taking a big bite, "maybe a little. I helped out around the place."  
  
"Hmmm," Dorian licked his lips, "a regular little saint."  
  
"I wouldn't say that," said Bull with a small laugh, "but yeah, I wasn't a _brat_ like you."  
  
"I beg your pardon!" Dorian said with a faux scandalized tone.  
  
"Ha!" Bull scraped more eggs onto what remained of his toast, finish it all off with a single bite.  
  
"You didn't answer my question though," said Dorian after a moment of silence, just Bull's chewing filling the emptiness, "what did she pick for you?"  
  
Iron Bull sat back against his chair, "Alright, that's fair. Look, when I tell you just remember it's not who I am anymore. It was a long time ago." Dorian nodded, head cocking slightly and eyes narrowing. Iron Bull let out a breath, he didn't really volunteer this information anymore except to people he was really close to. His Chargers had known the second he'd formed the roofing company, of course at that time he'd still been active. Now it was merely a relic of his past.  
  
"Because I was smart, and I slipped around rules rather than following them exactly, she recommended me for Ben-Hassrath work."  
  
"You..." Dorian's eyes went wide, " _you_ are Ben-Hassrath? Do you know what sort of stories we... do you know how many scary stories _I_ heard growing up?"  
  
"Not are," said Bull calmly, " _were_. I'm not anymore. And yeah, I've done things. No amount of asking is going to get me to tell you some of them. Not exactly proud of some of it. They put me on Seheron and I spent nearly a decade there."  
  
"A decade," Dorian breathed. To Bull's surprise he reached over the table to clasp one of his hands in both of his. "How did you survive it?"  
  
Ah, Dorian was a gentle man at heart, wasn't he? Bull smiled softly, "I almost didn't. By the end of it I thought about just running into battle and letting the 'Vints finish me off, or some rogue Tal-Vashoth; but I couldn't give those bastards the satisfaction. I turned myself in to the re-educators when I woke up one morning and knew I couldn't think of a single good reason to keep going. I figured they'd put me to work in the mines, but I got good recommendations from some of my men and instead they put me to work spying across Orlais and Fereldan and wherever else jobs took me. I started Bull's Chargers, a roofing company."  
  
"Then what?" asked Dorian, thoroughly entranced by the tale.  
  
"Then I worked as a roofer for a couple years," said Bull, "writing reports back to Par Vollen every week. It was fine, actually if events hadn't decided to unfold the way they did I might still be Qunari."  
  
Dorian, obviously squirming with curiosity, slipped around the table and pulled Bull's chair out enough to let him slip into his lap, straddling him with his arms around his shoulders. "What events?" he asked eagerly.  
  
Iron Bull wasn't sure if Dorian knew how comforting his proximity would be. Losing the Qun, even years later, was a wound that would never stop stinging a little. He placed his palms on Dorian's warm, smooth hips, thumbs stroking just over the golden chain. "My boys, My Chargers, I'd gathered them from all over Thedas. One of them, Krem, I lost an eye for. At one point we were were on a dangerous job on the Storm Coast, I wanted to turn it down but it was through my Qun contacts, I couldn't. Turned out it was just a...just a _fuckin' test_ ," Bull growled, "rumors had been going around about my loyalty. There we were, seven stories up in the wind and rain. My Chargers backed to the edge of the roof by a pair of Qunari.  
  
"' _Choose_ ,' Gatt had said, ' _I know you're still loyal but the others..._ '" Bull bit his bottom lip, that old rage still rolling about in his belly whenever he remembered this. "My loyalty was fine... or maybe I suppose this proves it wasn't as strong as I thought. I couldn't let Krem and the others die, I chose them. I got into a fight with the others on the roof, they... fell to their deaths."  
  
"Bull," Dorian sighed, pressing their foreheads together.  
  
"From that moment on I was Tal-Vashoth. Probably the hardest fuckin' thing I've ever done in my life, but I don't regret it. My boys are my family, the Qun will get on fine without me... but the Chargers wouldn't have." Iron Bull let out a slow breath, squeezing Dorian's hips, "There you have it, a whole bunch of information about me. Doesn't turn you off, doesn't? Me and my Chargers still work as roofers, didn't make sense to stop. Pay's good, work is hard but rewarding."  
  
Dorian was silent for a moment, palm stroking along the stubble on Bull's jaw. "I'm glad I met you," said at last, thumb trailing over Bull's cheekbone, "Knowing you lived through all that...and you're not bitter or spiteful when other people would have been. You are a good man, Iron Bull."  
  
"I try," said Bull quietly, leaning in to Dorian's touch, letting it soothe all the silt he'd stirred up during his retelling. "For awhile I thought I'd go mad when when I became Tal-Vashoth, but it never happened. Still, I don't go out of my way to cause trouble. However if it finds me..." Iron Bull growled for Dorian, getting a delighted little laugh out of him.  
  
"Oooh, my big strong Qunari warrior," he purred.  
  
Bull was already snaking his hand to Dorian's ass when he heard something vibrating in the living room. His phone. "Shit I gotta get that," he said, giving Dorian a quick kiss and then sliding him off his lap. He could hear Dorian gathering up the dirty dishes as he picked his phone up.  
  
Two new text messages from Resheri.  
  
_I talked to Varric and he says he'll be doing a small impromptu signing at the Majesty bookstore at 5pm on Friday._  
  
_I told him to look out for you, so he knows you're coming._  
  
Iron Bull looked over his shoulder, Dorian was piling the dishes in the sink and filling it with hot water. Shit this was going to blow his mind, and the happier that Dorian was, the more talkative he got. Iron Bull shot back a quick text.  
  
_Thanks Boss, you gonna be there?_  
  
A second later and his phone vibrated with:  
  
_No I have meetings to attend, say hello to Varric for me if you can go._  
  
_I can go_ , Bull replied, _thanks for letting me know_.  
  
He set the phone back down, walking into the kitchen and coming up behind Dorian to scoop him into a hug. "I've got a surprise for you," he growled, lips pressed against his temple.  
  
"I think I know what it is," said Dorian playfully, arching his ass back to rub it against his cock through his sweats.  
  
"Oof, that's hardly a surprise for you anymore," said Bull, turning Dorian around in his arms to press him against the counter. "What would you say if I told you that Varric Tethras is doing a signing in town on Friday, and I'd like to take you?"  
  
Dorian gaped at him, "I.." he shoved at Bull lightly, "I'd say you were telling an unfunny joke, Bull!" he snapped with a scowl.  
  
"No joke," said Bull, taking a single step back as Dorian shoved him but moving right back in again, "Turns out the guy I'm working for right now knows Varric personally. Just told me he's doing a last minute signing on Friday. I want you to come with me. Wouldn't you like to get out of the house?"  
  
Dorian's mouth had fallen open in shock, he seemed at a loss for words. Rare. Bull reached up, tracing his bottom lip with his thumb until Dorian's jaw snapped shut. "I don't have anything to wear," he said, as if making an excuse, "and... and I look like a demon! I'll never have enough energy to go if I have to hide the eyes and tail and horns and feet!"  
  
"We can go out and get you clothes," said Bull, "I have some left behind laying around here somewhere that might fit you well enough. I'll take you out shopping today for an outfit, and you can get some energy the day before from me."  
  
" _Kaffas_ ," Dorian swore lightly, "you really mean all that. You... you are a strange man! I'm an Incubus! You don't... you don't do these things with an Incubus!"  
  
"Maybe not," said Bull lowly, bending down to press their lips together, "but I'd do 'em with Dorian Pavus."  
  
Dorian teared up, quickly twisting away to wipe at his eyes, "Insufferable!" snapped over his shoulder. "You should know I... I won't just settle for any outfit! It has to look nice!"  
  
"Heh, thought as much," said Bull, taking a step back to give Dorian his space to compose himself. "Look, I'm gonna find some stuff that might fit you short term, no being snotty about that it's all I've got, and we'll head out, alright?"  
  
Dorian nodded, one hand clutching the edge of the kitchen counter while the other covered his eyes. Iron Bull left him alone, trudging upstairs to get ready to go. He put on his brace, a pair of jeans, his boots, and a zip-up hoodie that had been made custom to slip around his horns. As for Dorian... Iron Bull dug through a box in his closet, where he threw left over clothes from one night stands past. Sometimes you just couldn't find a person to return their frilly underwear. Most of it Bull tossed, but some of it had been so nice he'd told himself he'd donate it to a thrift store or something.  
  
Or something was throwing it in a box and never taking it to a thrift store. Worked out alright in the long run. Bull found a pair of lounge pants that could probably be adjusted to fit. A pair of flip flops at the bottom of the box might work, he hadn't seen much of Dorian's human feet but flip flops were pretty forgiving. He could not however find a shirt small enough, so he grabbed one his many, many white t-shirts with the large collars to fit over his horns and brought the whole ensemble down to Dorian.  
  
"Uhg, I'll look like trailer trash," he sniffed when Bull presented the clothes to him.  
  
"Better than looking like a concubine out of a dirty book," said Bull, gesturing to his silk and chains.  
  
Dorian snatched them up, " _Barely_!" He unhooked the chain around his hip, letting it fall to the floor of the living room. He leaned against the wall, taking a deep breath as slowly the fur began to recede from his legs, extra joint disappearing and hooves spreading into toes. Dorian was sweating when he pulled on the lounge pants, stuffing his tail down one leg so he wouldn't have to worry about getting rid of it as well.  
  
"Shit Dorian, you need some energy?" asked Bull, reaching out to brush a drop of sweat off his temple.  
  
"Yes I... probably, just a little bit to keep me going for the rest of the day," Dorian pulled on the shirt, which was like a tent on him, the collar so wide it nearly slipped off his shoulders. Dorian gathered the fabric up with one hand, twisting it into a knot until the shirt was showing his belly, and the twinkling gold piercing.  
  
"You make trailer trash look damn good," Bull growled, reaching out to rub his hand over Dorian's flat stomach.  
  
"I make anything look good," said Dorian, pushing away Bull's hand away to instead rub him through his jeans, "doesn't mean I _want_ to look like I have ten kids and twice as many dogs."  
  
"Heh," Bull boxed Dorian against the wall with his hands, letting him unzip his jeans to jerk him off. "You don't look like that, you look like one of those thrift store hipsters, you know the ones, stylish and a little trashy. You look like you like it rough and dirty."  
  
"I do like it rough and dirty," said Dorian, voice a little husky. Their lips met in a kiss, Dorian's hand working quickly over Bull's cock, drawing small amounts of energy from every swell of pleasure. Bull mouthed along his jaw, biting down just under his pointed ear, feeling the delicate little chains that hung through the piercings in his ears tickle against him.  
  
"Get on your knees," Bull whispered darkly.  
  
Dorian went down in a second, hands clenching in Bull's belt to haul him closer. He wrapped his lips around Bull's cock, urging Bull to fuck his throat. Rough and dirty indeed. Bull was happy to oblige, grunting under his breath as he felt his balls slap wetly against Dorian's chin and his throat swallow around his shaft. Dorian didn't try to string him along, and Bull was more than happy to go over the edge so quickly. He came with a low moan down Dorian's throat, feeling him swallow each drop eagerly.  
  
Energy snaked out of Bull until he sagged against the wall, panting heavily as if he'd run around the block. Tired, yeah, but it would pass. Dorian pulled back with a pop, licking his lips as if he'd just finished a sticky lollipop. "You're so filthy," Bull said, helping him back to his feet to wipe the spit off his chin and neck.  
  
"You love it," Dorian purred.  
  
"Fuck yeah I do," said Bull, kissing the corner of Dorian's mouth, "now let's grab a hoodie for you so you can hide those horns."  
  
"What about my eyes?" asked Dorian, following Bull to the hallway closet, his flip flops slapping loudly against the wood. They were a little too big.  
  
"If anyone asks say you're a fan of them novelty contacts," Bull hauled out an old hoodie left behind by Krem. It was a little bit tight, Krem was a smaller man than Dorian, but Dorian actually seemed pleased by this so Bull let it be. He put the hood up and it draped over his forehead, hiding the horns. They left bumps in the fabric that would easily be mistaken as mere folds. "Well, I think we're ready to go!" said Bull, clapping Dorian on the shoulder.  
  
Iron Bull opened the front door, grabbing his keys from the bowl and standing back to let Dorian out first. He stood in the hallway, wringing the edge of the hoodie in his fist. He looked at Bull nervously from under the hood, "This still feels like a dream," said Dorian slowly, "as if I am to wake up and know this is out of my reach."  
  
"You told me you don't sleep," said Bull gently, "so it's no dream. I think you've earned a day out shopping. You can keep the clothes here, get 'em and wear 'em whenever you want."  
  
Dorian covered his mouth with his hands, he looked like he was going to cry again but mastered it with a sniff and shake of his head. "Forgive my foolishness, let's go." He marched out the front door like he was going to war and didn't want to change his mind. Bull closed the door behind them, locking up and following Dorian to the truck.  
  
"Buckle up," Bull reminded as Dorian settled in the passenger seat, not wasting any time in nosing through his glove compartment.  
  
Though Dorian might object, Bull figured they'd go to the mall, plenty of stores for Dorian to choose from. Iron Bull wasn't sure what Dorian considered a stylish outfit, but if it was anything like other 'Vints it would include bared skin, belts, and some robes. There were a couple stores in the mall that catered to the more unique aspects of mage fashion... heavily influenced by Tevinter of course.  
  
"I haven't been out in public in years," said Dorian, finally getting bored with the glove compartment and instead twisting to look out the window.  
  
"How many years?" asked Bull, still trying to figure out Dorian's time line.  
  
Dorian shrugged, but when Bull glanced at him he could see how stiffly he sat, "Time is difficult to track when I'm like this," he deflected.  
  
Bull changed the subject, "So what's the weirdest person you've ever fed from?"  
  
"Oh," Dorian's nose wrinkled, "Some guy just wanted me to watch him try to fall asleep. He was tenting the sheets but he wouldn't touch himself and he wouldn't let me touch him. Just fucking sat there sucking what energy I could out of him until I'd gotten enough for him to just pass out. When I think back on it, I think he was a very clever insomniac. But I never went back, too much time for too little payoff."  
  
Iron Bull laughed, pulling into the mall parking lot. The mall was always slow on weekdays, especially around noon when almost everyone was at work. Bull turned off the truck and slipped outside, waiting for Dorian to join him on the other side. "Hey that's one way to get tired," he said, offering Dorian his hand.  
  
Dorian glanced down, then up at Bull with his brow furrowed. He was about to take his hand back when Dorian's fingers hesitantly slipped into his. Bull squeezed his hand lightly with a grin but otherwise didn't say anything about it. They walked in together, Dorian grimacing predictably. "Uhg, a mall, this is where true fashion comes to die."  
  
"Yeah, well, I'm sure you'll make it work. You made a bunch of discarded clothes in my closet look good."  
  
Dorian sniffed, but he was clearly pleased. He lead the way through the mall, pausing before certain stores and then moving on. He never let go of Bull's hand, practically dragging him around with poorly disguised eagerness. Finally he found a store with appropriately attired mannequins in the display window and slipped inside. He let go of Bull's hand at last to dig through the racks, hemming and hawing and critiquing everything.  
  
"Where did _you_ shop?" asked Bull after Dorian had disbarged another shirt.  
  
"Shop? _Please_ ," Dorian laughed, "A Pavus doesn't _shop_ , all of my robes were custom made for me." He sighed wistfully, "I miss them."  
  
It took about an hour, and Bull could tell the employees were dreaming about strangling Dorian, but he finally found a handful of things worthy enough to try on. Bull followed him placidly to the fitting rooms, sitting down on a nearby bench while Dorian slipped behind the door.  
  
" _Vehendis_!" he could hear Dorian softly swearing, "This damn tail!"  
  
After a moment of struggling, Dorian finally stepped out, spinning to give Bull a full 360 of his outfit. "Looks-" he started.  
  
"Terrible, I know," said Dorian, lips pursed as he adjusted his collar, glaring at his own reflection in a set of three mirrors beside them. He disappeared immediately back into the room, swearing and huffing as he changed.  
  
Iron Bull grinned and settled against the wall behind him, he was in for the long haul. It was nice to see Dorian enjoying himself though, for no matter how much he whined he was clearly having the time of his life trying on clothes. He'd come out looking gorgeous but always having something bad to say about the outfit and then back he'd go to change, mixing and matching the pieces skillfully.  
  
After about an hour of this Dorian finally exited the fitting room with a flourish, "Tell me what you think!" he preened, "be honest!"  
  
"Honestly?" said Bull, "you're fuckin' gorgeous." Dorian had settled on a rich red robe with gold trim that was longer on one side than the other, showing off the supple leather pants and knee-high high heeled boots Dorian had picked out. The collar of the robe only covered one shoulder, the other shoulder and part of his chest bared. Dorian had belted on a half sleeve to his naked arm made up of matching red cloth and black belts.

  
  
"I'd forgotten how powerful a set of robes could make you feel," said Dorian, admiring himself like a bird in the mirror. He lightly touched his horns, grimacing as if he wished he could expend the energy to get rid of them. Instead he had a hood on the back of his robe that he could throw up, so voluminous that it hid the horns and drew out the true glow of his eyes.  
  
"If you take the tags off you can probably walk out with them," said Bull, pushing himself to his feet.  
  
"Yes," said Dorian, back straight and nose in the air as he examined his reflection from the corner of his eye, "I don't want to wear your trailer trash clothes out of here if I don't have to." He relaxed his pose, some of that imperial air sloughing off as he walked up to Bull and enveloped him in a warm hug. "Thank you," he whispered against his chest.  
  
"You earned it, Big Guy," said Bull gently, cupping the back of Dorian's head through the hood.  
  
Together they managed to pull off all the tags and Bull brought them upfront to the haggard looking cashier. Dorian was already drawing stares, as if they couldn't believe he was the same man who'd walked in in ill-fitting clothes. Bull had the old clothes stuffed into a bag. Dorian's outfit ended up costing over 400 dollars, which Bull had somewhat expected. He was eternally glad roofing paid so well and the contracts had been plentiful.  
  
This time it was Dorian who took his hand, holding it tightly as they walked out of the store. People were openly staring, and Bull could hardly blame them, Dorian looked like a dream. He was unnaturally beautiful to begin with, but now he glowed. Bull looked down to their joined hands, that fondness squirming in his chest like a snake. He kept digging deeper and deeper and he couldn't stop, didn't want to. Even when under the Qun he'd chased pleasure blindly, he was a hedonist without a doubt. This was the sort of pleasure he didn't get very often, and one he knew he'd chase until he ended up hurt. If it did turn out there was no help for Dorian... how long could both of them keep this up?  
  
A traitorous thought for another day. Dorian tugged them both out into the rain, splashing through puddles as they hurried to the truck. Dorian was laughing when they threw themselves into the cab, Bull shaking water off his horns. The water was steaming off of Dorian and fogging his windows up. Iron Bull turned on the car and set the defrost to high, waiting for it to catch up. Beside him, Dorian was rubbing the fabric of his new robes between his fingers, a distant smile on his face.

“Bull,” he murmured, so quietly that he almost didn't hear him over the rush of the fans, “You are very... special to me,” Dorian looked up, golden eyes glowing under his hood, “Even when I was human I can't remember someone ever treating me like this.”

“Well that's a cryin' shame,” said Bull honestly, reaching out to pinch Dorian's chin between his fingers, “Happy is a good look for you, I think it might be my favorite.”

“Sap!” Dorian twisted out of his hold, a weak smile twitching on his lips before he turned to stare out the window. Iron Bull pretended not to notice how he was wiping at his eyes. They drove back in silence, Dorian's eyes watching the cars passing back or twisting his head to follow billboards or other interesting things.

When they pulled into his driveway they both rushed through the rain to the front door, tumbling inside to the sound of distant thunder. Bull wondered if he would even be able to go to work tomorrow. He shut the door and dumped his keys in their bowl as Dorian tried to brush water off his new clothes. “Hey,” said Bull, indicating Dorian should follow him upstairs, “we can hang these up for Friday. I'll be working but I'll come home early, about three, so we can make it to the bookstore.”

“I wish I could take them with me,” Dorian sighed, already undoing the buckles and clasps, “I'd forgotten how good it feels to be dressed up.” The second his boots and pants were off the fur was crawling back up his legs, joint popping out and molding into hard hooves. Dorian seemed to mourn the transition silently, carefully hanging up his outfit so as not to wrinkle it.

“They're here for you when you need them,” said Bull softly, brushing his palm along Dorian's cheek. “If you don't have to take off, I still have some Ancient Tevinter to work on.”

“Of course,” said Dorian, leaning in to his touch, tail slipping around to curl loosely along his calf as if needing to keep him close. “You need all the help you can get.”

Later that night, with his assignment done, Dorian left with only a kiss. A long, slow kiss filled with so much longing that Bull wanted to hold him and force him to stay. Dorian pulled away and left him, like always.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dorian goes to a book signing and Bull learns something of mild importance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my beta Ezno, and to Rockgaara for illustrations!

Iron Bull was the first to arrive to Ancient Tevene that night. Alexius and Felix were by the desk, Felix coughing into his sleeve and looking miserable.  
  
"We can go home," said Alexius quietly, "we can cancel the class."  
  
" _No_ Father," said Felix stubbornly, "I'm fine. Just the cold weather from yesterday lingering."  
  
"If it gets worse then we're leaving," said Alexius in a tone that brooked no argument. The tone of a parent to their child, even if Felix was a grown man. He glanced up as if just noticing Iron Bull for the first time. "Ah," he said, "hello, The Iron Bull. Did you manage to finish the homework?"  
  
"You betcha," said Bull, pretending he hadn't heard anything. He slipped his work out from between the pages of his text book and brought it down to the desk. Alexius picked it up to look it over. Felix was muting his coughing into his sleeve, staring up at Bull as if trying to place where he knew him. Which was odd, Felix knew he was the roofer working at the University.  
  
Before Bull could parse out why Felix was giving him a thousand yard stare, Alexius was crying out, "The Iron Bull this is astoundingly neat work! Are you sure you do not already know Tevene?"  
  
"Pretty sure," said Bull, looking away from Felix, "but I have experience with other languages, which helps." Didn't want to explain he had help from a Tevinter Incubus. Not that Dorian had cheated for him, no matter how much he had wanted to.  
  
"Well with this sort of progress you'll be outstripping the other students in no time! Remarkable! I might give you slightly harder assignments." Alexius wrote a big 100 at the top of Bull's paper and handed it back to him.  
  
"Thanks," Bull folded it back up to stick in his textbook. "Throw whatever you want at me, I'll handle it."  
  
"I like that attitude!" said Alexius. Felix coughed into his sleeve.  
  
That night Alexius went over slightly more advanced grammar and wrote down a series of longer words for them to dissect. The nice thing about Ancient Tevene was that it was a sort of base language for several other languages. Not enough to make it a breeze to learn as it followed complicated rules, but just enough to give Bull the edge he needed to pick up new concepts quickly.  
  
As the night wore on Felix's cough grew more insistent. He had dark circles under his eyes and his complexion was growing wane. At an hour into the lesson Alexius finally called a stop to it. "We're done!" he ordered over Felix's weak protests. "For Monday I want simple written conversations, and then I want these memorized and performed before class. The Iron Bull, I want you to write a more complicated conversation."  
  
"You got it," said Bull, watching how Felix sagged over the desk. Pretty big difference from Monday. He had seemed hale and hearty during their last class. Illness could be deceiving, he had probably just been having a good day. Bull gathered up his book and walked out behind everyone else.  
  
"I knew we should have canceled the class completely."  
  
"I could have just stayed home."  
  
"No, I can't leave you out of my sight, what if there had been an emergency? Your caretaker isn't doing his job."  
  
"It's not fair to keep-!"  
  
The door shut behind him, cutting off the rest of their argument. Iron Bull rubbed his jaw with a frown. Shit, a Father having to deal with his son being ill, and it sounded like a long term problem if Felix had a caretaker. That was rough. Also none of his business. Iron Bull headed for the library, he wanted to see if any of the Tevene in that old book could be parsed out.  
  
It was exactly where he'd left it, just out of reach of anyone who wasn't a Qunari. He slipped it down and sat down on the floor leaning up against the bookshelf. Two shelves over, a couple women were laughing and giggling about something. He could hear the tapping of keyboards and the rustling of dry pages turning. Bull flipped the book open to the page with the Incubus illustrations. The Tevene was so cramped he had a hard time parsing out individual letters. He pulled out a pen and started to transcribe what he found on the back of his homework. At least what he could read. Some things he just placed the lined paper over and traced directly, the writing too cramped to decipher then and there.  
  
The next page was nothing but text, and some list of supplies. This he could figure out.  
  
_1 glass vial_  
  
_1 litre of blood_  
  
_1 snip of hair of victim_  
  
Iron Bull wrinkled his nose as disgust had bile rising in the back of his throat. Blood magic. He should have guessed. Maybe he should check the book out from the library, there was too much writing to transcribe right then and there, and he could probably hide it from Dorian until he was confident enough in a solution.  
  
Bull slipped his paper back his textbook and stood up, taking the Grimoire to the front desk.  
  
"Uhhh," the elven girl behind the counter hesitantly took the book, turning it this way and that, "this isn't a library book," she said.  
  
"Well I got it off your shelf back there," said Bull, pointing to where he'd come from.  
  
"There's no scan code, and it's not even in our system!" she was clicking through her computer. "I need to speak with the Head Librarian and get it registered before you can check it out."  
  
Figures. Iron Bull rubbed his hand over his face with a growl, "Fine fine, how long will that take?"  
  
"I dunno, she's on vacation until tomorrow. Check back on Monday," she said, slipping the book under the counter.  
  
So much for that. "Thanks," he muttered, walking back outside.  
  
The sun had mostly set by the time he made it open, the shadows in his house growing darker by the moment. He'd only been home a moment when Dorian arrived, pulling him into a hug. "I can't stop thinking about Friday," he sighed against Bull's chest.  
  
"Heh, yeah, gonna show you a good time," said Bull, rubbing his hand along Dorian's naked back. "You need energy for tomorrow?"  
  
Dorian pulled back, looking up into his face with a warm, sleepy look that made his heart stutter in his chest. "What a romantic thing to say to a man. Yes, I will conserve what I get tonight for tomorrow. I want you at your best for that night!"  
  
"Well then," Bull growled, hands settling on Dorian's hips, "Let's make it fun. Go upstairs and wait for me. I'm going eat, pay some bills... and you're not going to touch yourself the entire time."  
  
"Just lay and wait?" Dorian pouted, and damn if that face couldn't break a strong man.  
  
"Just lay and wait, and when I walk in there you're going to do everything I say."  
  
Dorian shivered, eyes lighting up, "Yes, sir." His hooves clopped up the stairs, leaving Bull alone downstairs. He smiled to himself, moving into the kitchen to make himself something to eat. Iron Bull made himself a quick sandwich, eating it as he paid some bills online. It wasn't more than half an hour before he was thumping up the stairs, making extra noise just for Dorian.  
  
He brushed his teeth in the bathroom, resolutely not looking over at the door to his bedroom. Let him wait just a moment longer. Dorian was a sight to behold once Bull finally walked in, unbuckling his belt as he stood by the edge of the bed. He was laying on his shoulders, knees under him and spread wide so his ass was in the air. Dorian had his tail draped along his back, presenting himself for the taking.  
  
"Fucking gorgeous," Bull growled, letting his belt fall to the floor.  
  
"All yours," Dorian purred, turning his head to look at Bull from over his shoulder. He wriggled his ass, wordlessly begging to be touched.  
  
Iron Bull ignored him for a moment, still slowly undressing. First the shirt, then his jeans, then the brace. He sat on the edge of the bed, close enough to Dorian to feel the heat of his body without actually touching him. Once the brace was off he set it aside, and Dorian was whimpering with frustration behind him, hands twitching against the sheets.  
  
"You're being a very good boy," Bull praised, finally crawling fully on to the bed to kneel just behind Dorian. "You want to get rewarded?"  
  
"Oh please please please!" Dorian panted.  
  
"Turn over, hands behind your knees," Bull ordered.  
  
Dorian obeyed without question, spreading himself wide for Bull's eye. Aside from his legs and tail there wasn't a strand of hair on him. Bull laid on his belly, taking a deep breath just behind Dorian's balls. He always smelled so fresh, a spicy musk that made Bull's mouth water. Dorian squirmed as Bull lapped over his asshole, letting out little whimpers.  
  
Iron Bull loved doing this to his partners, got him hard as rock without a single touch. He could feel Dorian drawing on that, just adding to the heat spreading through his veins. Bull licked and nipped Dorian's asshole until he was dripping with spit and his whimpers had turned into full on moans and pleas for more. Only then did Bull grab Dorian's thighs, fingers digging into his flesh as he shoved him up onto his shoulders and fucked him open with his tongue.  
  
Dorian's asshole parted around him, eagerly sucking in his tongue. Usually Bull was used to some unpleasant tastes while doing this, but fuck Dorian tasted as good as always. Another reminder of how he wasn't human. Bull pulled back only when his tongue started to cramp and Dorian was writhing, babbling mess beneath him.  
  
"Back how you were when I came in," Bull ordered gruffly, rubbing his sore jaw, "with that pretty ass in the air."  
  
"Yes sir, yes oh yes yes yes!" Dorian babbled, scrambling back over to stick his ass in the air, tail curling enticingly. His asshole was still dripping with spit, and Bull watched it slide down the back of his balls. Bull felt a thrill and Dorian drew at that, making him dizzy with the sudden rush of pleasure.  
  
"You keep that up and I'm going to blow my load too soon," Bull growled, grabbing Dorian's hips as he sat up one knee, the other pressed against Dorain's side as he rubbed his cock along the cleft of his ass.  
  
"Better get that nice fat cock in me before you waste any of that precious come," Dorian breathed, two of his fingers playing along his lips before he sucked them into his mouth.  
  
Iron Bull slapped Dorian's upper thigh, enjoying the sound of him crying out and having it muffled around his fingers. "Don't get sassy with me, or I'll stand back and make you watch me jack off onto the sheets."  
  
"Mmm!" Dorian arched, rubbing himself against Bull, "I'd just lick it all up," he groaned, eyes slipping shut and drool slipping along his fingers.  
  
The mental image of Dorian slurping his seed greedily off the sheets was one that would no doubt stick with him for ages to come. However Dorian actually needed the energy, and Bull wouldn't be so cruel before a big day. He pulled back just far enough to guide the head of his prick into Dorian's asshole, watching how it opened around his hard flesh.  
  
He fucked him hard, sweat rolling down his brow as he gave Dorian everything he had in him. He could feel that greedy draw, every pull was just another jolt of pleasure. Bull used all his tricks to draw it out, to make him last long past when a normal man would have tumbled over the edge.

  
  
Dorian had obviously not been fucked so hard for so long in awhile. His fingers had started in his mouth but now they were clenched in the sheets and he was screaming with pleasure, tail whipping and curling until it finally squeezed around one of Bull's horns. All the while Dorian fed and fed and fed, until Bull was dizzy and teetering on the very edge with every merciless thrust.  
  
Finally even all his tricks couldn't help him, Bull shoved forward, flattening Dorian against the bed and laying over him fully, hips speeding up until he was really fucking him into the mattress. If anyone could take his weight, it was Dorian. His tail was now slipping around his thighs, the smooth, leathery arrow pressing, as if on accident, against his asshole.  
  
Iron Bull came with a roar, thrusting as deep as he could and holding himself there as his prick pulsed and pumped Dorian full of come. The pleasure stretched on and on as Dorian wailed and fed on his orgasm. It was a controlled feed, leaving Bull exhausted but not passing out. He pressed a tired kiss against the back of his neck before rolling off him, breathing harshly as he let the cool air waft over his sweaty skin.  
  
"Oooo that should keep me," Dorian purred, his tail now laying limp between his legs, as if he didn't have the will to move it.  
  
"You won't need more tomorrow?" Bull panted, scratching at his belly.  
  
"Hmmm, I can store it for later," said Dorian, turning on his side. He had come smeared over his belly, more of it a wet stain on Bull's bed. "I usually don't because-" he bit his lip on whatever he was going to say next.  
  
"Because what?" Bull pushed himself onto one elbow with a groan, an ache setting into his bones. "Where does the energy go if not to you, Dorian?"  
  
Dorian picked at the sheets, not meeting Bull's eye, "I can't tell you that."  
  
"Can you tell me..." Bull let out a sound of frustration, pinching the bridge of his nose, "can you tell me how your energy works?"  
  
"Don't be angry with me!" Dorian pleaded, scooting in close to press himself against Bull. "The energy I gather, I really only need a little to survive, from some people they give me just enough to live. You though... you are a boundless source, I have so much extra energy... it can be stored but..." Dorian traced a nonsense pattern against Bull's stomach, staring anywhere but at him. "It can also be...used... not by me. It's... it's like a source...um... it can be drawn from."  
  
"Is someone drawing from you?" asked Bull lowly, blood rushing in his ears.  
  
"I can't tell you specifics," Dorian muttered, "Energy can be directed two places. My own personal stores, inaccessible to any but me, or another store, accessible by me and..." he trailed off.  
  
"Whoever..." Bull growled. "How much do you store for yourself normally?"  
  
Dorian buried his face against Bull's chest, arms wrapping around him. "I don't want to talk about this Bull, I've told you there's nothing you can do. Nothing I _want_ you to do. I want you to be safe!"  
  
"I want _you_ safe," Bull said, laying on his back with Dorian scooting over top of him. "If I somehow found a way to help you, would you accept it?"  
  
"Well you _can't_ so it's a moot point!" said Dorian stubbornly. "I... I brought this on myself."  
  
"Oh, no," Bull whispered, brushing his fingers through Dorian's hair, "only a monster would tell you that."  
  
"I don't want your help," Dorian said, voice rough with unshed tears, "I've accepted my fate. You should too. Being with you, like this, it makes it easier. I don't know what I'd do if you went off and did something reckless and I lost you."  
  
Saying anything more wouldn't help. Iron Bull let out a breath, hand stroking up and down Dorian's back. He wasn't going to stop, not for anything in the world. He couldn't keep his eyes open for long, and Dorian stayed with him until he fell asleep, a comforting weight on his chest.  
  
The next morning he was tucked under his sheets and a glass of cool water sat on his nightstand along with the pills for his headache. Though Dorian had not been overzealous with his feeding, he had taken quite a bit. Bull downed the pills, finished the water, and began to get ready for the day.  
  
It was another cloudless sky as they worked on the roof. The heat got nearly unbearable, everyone stripping off their shirts by noon. Iron Bull had to stop Skinner from beaming some ogling kids with a box of nails. Everyone was still going strong by the time Bull started down the ladder, his shirt balled up in his tool belt.  
  
"Oi, it's only 2:30!" Krem barked with a grin, "Are you so lazy you can't even finish a decent day's work?"  
  
"I'll show you lazy," Bull growled, "this is my reward for babysitting the lot of you!"  
  
He had to dodge a box of nails from Skinner.  
  
Dorian was waiting for him when he arrived home at three, practically beside himself with excitement. Bull laughed, pulling him into a kiss, "Mmm, let me shower and get dressed in something nicer than sweaty old work clothes."  
  
"I think you smell fantastic," Dorian sighed, nosing just under his ear and taking a deep breath.  
  
"Fuck," Bull grunted, gently pushing him away, "We do not have time for all the ways I want to fuck you for doing that." Dorian followed him up the stairs, and probably would have followed him into the shower if Bull hadn't told him to put his own clothes on. He didn't need a shower, he always smelled good, and having him wet and pressed close would just be way too distracting.  
  
Bull took his time, washing away all the sweat and grime of the day. The hot water worked wonders on his muscles. Standing before the mirror he rubbed horn balm into the base of his horns, which were getting a little flaky, and applied a very subtle cologne. This was a date, might as well give Dorian the full experience. By the time he left the bathroom, Dorian was fully dressed and changed. With the exception of his eyes, he looked entirely human. No horns, no tail, and no hooves.  
  
He got to his feet as Bull walked in, eyes crawling from his feet up to his face with obvious pleasure. "You look best naked," Dorian said lowly.  
  
"Not gonna argue, but the bookstore might," said Bull, pulling out a nicer pair of jeans and and clean black t-shirt.  
  
"Spoil sports," Dorian sighed as Bull dressed. He didn't worry about putting the brace back on, they wouldn't be doing anything too strenuous. Probably. The clock showed 4:00pm by the time he was ready to go, giving him half an hour to eat and then Dorian was practically tugging him out the door.  
  
"What's the rush?" Bull teased, still stuffing his sandwich in his mouth.  
  
"I don't want to be late!" Dorian whined, pushing him to the truck, "If we're late I'll never forgive you!"  
  
"Oh? Should I tell Varric how in love you are with him?" Bull laughed, brushing crumbs off his shirt before opening the door to the truck.  
  
"Don't you dare!" Dorian hissed from the passenger seat, already buckling in, "If you say anything of the sort, an untruth, mind you, I will eviscerate you."  
  
"Bookstore isn't that far away," Iron Bull reassured him as he backed out of the driveway, one arm thrown over the back of the seat, "We'll be there so quickly no one else will have shown up before us."  
  
The bookstore somehow managed to toe the line between huge and cozy. Since Varric's signing was unadvertised the entire thing was taking place in a far corner, and all the seats were just a bunch of chairs and loveseats people used to sit and read. A table was set up with all his books if you hadn't brought your own to get signed. Dorian looked at them longingly.  
  
"You want 'em?" asked Bull, throwing himself down in a loveseat.  
  
"You already bought the outfit," said Dorian hesitantly, picking up Tales of the Champion almost lovingly. "I don't want to be in debt to you, I can never pay you back."  
  
"Hey," Bull pushed himself to his feet, walking over to cup Dorain's chin in his hand, forcing their eyes to meet, "No one here is keeping a tally, got it? You never need to pay me back. If you want them, I'll buy them. What's the point of going if you don't get something signed?"  
  
"Very well," said Dorian after a lengthy pause, "but only my favorites!"  
  
"Whatever you want," said Bull, sitting back down.  
  
Dorian grabbed up Tales of the Champion, two of the Hard in Hightowns (there wasn't even a third, Bull had checked out three of them, why wasn't there a third?), Darktown's Deal, and The Viper's Nest. All of them except Swords and Shields and The Dasher's Men. However he was looking pretty hard at The Dasher's Men.  
  
"Just grab it," Bull laughed.  
  
He was awarded a guilty smile and then Dorian was snuggling up beside him with an armful of books. "I can keep these in your home, right?" Dorian asked. More people were starting to sit down around them, some of them clutching well worn books to their chests while others grabbed up new copies like Dorian.  
  
Varric Tethras arrived moments later, a sly smile on his face. Iron Bull recognized him from his picture on the back of his book. Same smile. He seemed to perk up when he saw Bull, walking right over and shaking his hand, "Whoa, hey there. Resheri's friend?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess," said Bull.  
  
Varric was unscrewing a bottle of water, taking a drink out of it as his eyes turned to Dorian. "Dorian Pavus, it's-" Dorian held out his hand just as Varric's eyes went wide and he choked on his water, coughing so hard Bull wondered if he was going to have to slap him on the back.  
  
"Oh shit, sorry, went down the wrong pipe," Varric coughed, wiping his mouth with his sleeve and screwing the cap back on his water bottle, "Nice to meet you...Dorian." They shook hands, Dorian smiling suavely.  
  
Bull narrowed his eyes, down the wrong pipe indeed. Varric had recognized Dorian's name. He said nothing, letting Varric settle behind the table they had set up for him. "So, uh," he brushed some water off the front of his shirt, "we'll do a quick Q &A and then I'll sign some books."  
  
"What happened to Anders?" asked a breathless girl, her Tales of the Champion so well read it was held together with a rubber band.  
  
"It's a mystery," said Varric dryly, in the tone of a man who both expected and dreaded the question.  
  
"But is he still alive? Still with Hawke?" she continued, eyes pleading.  
  
Varric sighed, "You're asking if I know if a domestic terrorist is still alive? If I still have contact with him? Trust me, plenty of people want to get their hands on Anders, I don't know where he is or if he's still alive. Hawke and I still keep in good touch, but Anders is never mentioned."  
  
He was lying, but he was good at it, Bull observed. The girl sighed but seemed to accept the answer. "You gonna ask anything?" Bull whispered in Dorian's ear as some guy posed questions about Hard in Hightown.  
  
"I thought about so many," Dorian whispered, looking down at his lapful of books, "now that I'm here... I'm afraid of people knowing I've been... away for so long. What if I ask something everyone should know?"  
  
"If you ask it, not everyone knows it," said Bull. He rubbed Dorian's back but didn't press him. This had to be a little overwhelming.  
  
The Q&A was exactly as short as Varric had made it sound. Only a handful of questions were answered, but in his defense Varric had answered all of them in detail. With the exception of anything having to do with Anders. "Everyone line up for signings!" said Varric.  
  
"Selfies?" asked the girl with the tied together book, she held her phone up hopefully.  
  
"Bring it in here," said Varric.  
  
Dorian got up to get in line but Bull grabbed the back of his robes, "Wait," he said, tugging him back down, "we can be last in line, you can ask him some questions without everyone hearing." Bull had some questions for Varric as well, preferably with _no one_ listening at all. Dorian sat beside him as they watched the line trickle away to nothing, and then Dorian got to his feet and walked over.  
  
“Big fan?” asked Varric as he slipped his signature into every book Dorian presented him with.  
  
Dorian seemed to bite his tongue on something snide, no doubt a habit, and nodded. He was excited and trying not to look like it. Bull smiled fondly, as if he could hide it while buying almost all of Varric's books. “They're alright,” he finally said stiffly.  
  
Varric laughed, Bull saw he wasn't bad at reading people himself. “Better than bad! Thanks, uh, Dorian.” He pushed the books back to him and Dorian gathered them into his arms, golden eyes glowing with strangled excitement.  
  
“Hey, go ahead a buy these, I need to ask Varric something,” said Bull. He pulled a bunch of cash out of his wallet and handed it to Dorian, who opened his mouth to carry it away to the front counter. He and Varric shared a meaningful look before the dwarf got to his feet and grabbed Bull by the wrist, tugging him away from the table.  
  
"Is that really Dorian Pavus?" Varric whispered, pulling them between the stacks of books and out of sight. In the distance Bull could see Dorian standing in line with his newly signed books piled high in his arms. The cash to buy them still clutched in his mouth.  
  
"Yeah," said Bull, turning his eye back on Varric, "Why? Is there a problem with that? You're looking awfully pale."  
  
Varric clasped his elbows, looking him in the eye with the most serious expression Bull had seen on him yet. "That _can't_ be Dorian Pavus... Dorian Pavus is _dead_."


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Varric explains some things

Iron Bull was well trained to accept bad news, but it was only this training that kept him from yelling _what_ at the top of his lungs. He took several deep breaths, head spinning and blood rushing through his ears with a dull roar. "Care to repeat that?" he grit out.  
  
"He's dead!" Varric hissed, "or at least, he's supposed to be!"  
  
"What the fuck would you know about it?" Iron Bull snapped, "How do you know him?"  
  
"I-"  
  
"Bull!" Dorian was coming back over with a bag full of books in one hand and the change in the other.  
  
"Look, text me tomorrow, as soon as you can," said Bull, tone brooking no argument. He grabbed Varric's pen and wrote down his number on a sheet of paper and stuffed it in his hand. "If you don't I'm going to track you down, little man!"  
  
"Hey...no problem, Tiny," said Varric, slipping the paper in his pocket before Dorian arrived.  
  
By the time Dorian had slipped through the shelves Bull was feet away from Varric, "Dorian!" he crowed, hauling him under his arm and leading him towards the front door. "Did you have fun today?"  
  
"I don't know how to properly thank you," said Dorian, giving Bull back his change and then clutching the bag of books against his chest. "This was... this unlike anything..." His voice was starting to crack. Bull paused just outside the truck, moving so his hands were on Dorian's shoulders.  
  
"You alright, Big Guy?" he asked softly.  
  
The tears Dorian had been fighting for days finally spilled over. He broke into powerful sobs, lashes sticking together with water as he cried and threw himself into Bull's arms. For a while it was all Bull could do to hug him, the corners of Varric's books digging painfully into his gut. People in the parking lot were staring, but no one tried to butt in. Probably because of Bull's size. He rubbed Dorian's back until he calmed down enough that his wails were just hiccups.  
  
"Shit, Dorian, what's wrong?" Bull finally asked.  
  
"It hurts," Dorian sniffed, rubbing his tears off on Bull's shirt. "It hurts how human you make me feel again." Iron Bull had no words for that. He kept silent, bending down to press a kiss against the top of Dorian's head. "You make me think that... maybe in another world, if we'd met...s-some other way. I could have been happy. Truly happy." Dorian started to cry again, gritting his teeth so hard a muscle in his jaw was twitching.  
  
" _Please_ ," Bull whispered, pushing Dorian just far enough back to look into his eyes, wet with tears, " _Please_ tell me who did this to you. Tell me how I can help!"  
  
"I can't!" Dorian sobbed, breaking apart all over again, "I can't tell you! Only in the Fade am I free and _you don't dream_! Even if you could it'd be too dangerous! You're not even a mage, Bull!"  
  
Iron Bull pulled him back against his chest, fingers clutched in his robes as if afraid he'd disappear. "I've fought mages before," said Bull gruffly, "I'll do it again."  
  
Dorian said nothing, just nuzzled against his chest.  
  
It was a quiet drive home, Dorian sniffing and staring out the window the entire ride. When Bull pulled into his driveway Dorian gathered up his books and brought them inside, setting them lovingly on the coffee table. "Hey," said Bull, putting a hand on his arm, "These'll always be here for you when you want to read them. I'll put them on that shelf over there."  
  
"Thank you, Bull," Dorian whispered, not meeting his eye. He stripped out of his clothes, whimpering as the horns, tail, and hooves morphed back. He set the clothes on the couch, tail curled in defeat between his legs. Iron Bull was almost sure he'd leave right then and there, but instead he walked back over and wrapped Bull up in a tight hug.  
  
"This might sound stupid," said Dorian softly, hands clenched in Bull's shirt, "but you're the best thing that ever happened to me."  
  
"It's not stupid," said Bull gently, bending down to envelope Dorian in his arms.  
  
"Goodnight, _Amatus_ ," Dorian breathed, his lips pressing sweetly against Bull's cheek. He disappeared from Bull's arms, leaving him clutching nothing but a fading patch of warmth.

  
He slept like shit that night, tossing and turned from his back to his stomach as his mind ran with every possible fix. He imagined translating the old Grimoire and finding a magical cure. If he needed a powerful mage he'd get one, he had plenty of connections. Dorian could live with him, and if he wanted to move out when he got his feet under him that was fine too. Iron Bull's house was big enough for two... for as long as he wanted to stay. Maybe he didn't sleep at all, he wasn't sure. All he knew is that his phone was vibrating on his nightstand, pulling him up from his drowse. Bull slapped his hand over the nightstand, knocking over his alarm clock and some loose change before he finally managed to grab it and turn it on.

  
Bull had to squint until his eye adjusted to read the new text from an unknown number.

  
_Where can we talk in private?_

  
That had to be Varric. Bull was instantly awake, pushing himself up and tapping out a reply.

  
 _Come to my house_ , he wrote out his address, _but don't come inside_. _We'll have to drive around in my truck._

  
The last thing they needed was to be sitting down discussing Dorian when Dorian himself decided to show up unannounced. Iron Bull hurried out of bed, dressing haphazardly and stuffing his phone in his pocket as he rushed downstairs. No time for the brace, and he didn't need it. He pulled on a pair of boots, grabbed his keys, and then waited impatiently outside. Varric's car, some old town car, pulled up beside his, Varric waving at him before slipping out.

  
“No time to waste,” said Bull, opening his driver's side door and hauling himself in, “Dorian could appear in the house whenever he wants and I don't want him to see me driving off with you.”

  
“Jeeze, could your car get any bigger?” Varric grumbled, scrambling, with some effort, into the passenger side. “Not made for men with short legs, is it?”

  
“Hey, it has a foot bar,” said Bull, pretending to be wounded for the sake of his truck.

  
“Heh, alright Tiny, let's get out of here,” Varric buckled himself in. He had a manila folder sitting in his lap, and Bull could tell it was full of various papers already. He pulled out of the driveway and headed in an arbitrary direction, they weren't going anywhere so he just kept going straight to keep it simple.

  
“I need answers,” said Bull, not taking his eyes off the road, “Why do you _think_ Dorian Pavus is dead? Because he's not, you saw him last night. Nothing can raise the dead.”

  
“We saw something, or someone that _calls_ itself Dorian Pavus,” said Varric, pulling out a sheaf of paper from his folder, “do you have proof it really is?”  
  


“I-” Iron Bull opened his mouth then shut it again, really thinking about it. No. He didn't have any proof it really was the actual Dorian Pavus. To think a demon might have fooled him made his skin crawl. He swallowed down bile, forcing himself not to let his fears run ahead of him. Dorian displayed emotions no demon could accurately fake, he was sure of it. If it wasn't really _the_ Dorian Pavus, it was at least human at one point. “Okay, you have a point,” said Bull, “but you haven't told me how you know he's...dead...”

  
“I don't personally know Pavus,” said Varric, “but I am very good friends with a woman who is _very_ good friends with Dorian Pavus.”

  
“Get to the point, Varric,” Iron Bull growled lowly.

  
“Okay okay,” said Varric, sounding completely unaffected by his tone. Iron Bull reluctantly liked him. “Her name is Maevaris Tilani and she married one of my cousins. We got along so well at the wedding we've kept in touch ever since. Usually email or phone calls. I've kept every email she's ever sent me, someday I hope to write a book about her. Turned out pretty useful now. Let's see...” Varric was shuffling through the papers. Bull didn't change lanes in time and was forced to take a right turn.  
“Here we are!” said Varric, “this is the first mention of Dorian Pavus in our emails. This was about hmmm nearly five years, but not quite. _Hello Varric_ , blah blah blah, _the Magisterium_ blah blah ah! _I have a good friend, Dorian Pavus, living with me right now. He ran from his father's estate and has nothing but the clothes on his back and his staff. He refuses to tell me what's wrong, says the less I know the better. Insists he's going South! I'm trying to talk him out of it, after all, he begins to wilt once the temperature over here slips below 80!_ ”

“Lines up with what Krem said, I guess,” Bull muttered, making a U-turn on an abandoned road to take them back from where they had come. “Keep going.”

Varric shuffled through his papers, muttering under his breath. He finally pulled another one out, “Magesterium who cares who cares who cares, here we go. _Dorian got drunk last night and spilled the beans, as you might say. It was difficult to understand him, something about his father and blood magic. If Halward has done anything to this boy damn protocol I'll murder him in plain sight! When Dorian sobered up he begged me not to go after his father, so I won't do anything. He states he's leaving tomorrow. I offered to buy him a plane ticket to wherever he wishes to go but he says he doesn't want me more involved than I already am._ ”

Iron Bull sighed, putting on his turn signal to change lanes. “You think his father did this to him? Turned him into a demon in revenge?”

“Preeeetty sure Mae would have mentioned that,” said Varric, pulling out another email. “This one just mentions Dorian in passing, stating he has run South. For a few months she doesn't say anything and then...uh umm hmmmm here it is... _Dorian has reached the South, he sent me a quick message stating he was still alive and reached his destination._ ”

“But where did he go?!” Bull growled in frustration, “You don't just come South and get turned into an Incubus-”

“Wait run that by me again?” Varric interjected.

Bull ignored him and continued on, “-it's 'Vint bullshit! How many 'Vint's could you find down South?!”

“Did you just say ‘Incubus’?” Varric continued, “Because that’s what I heard. What the hell is an Incubus?” He was giving Iron Bull an incredulous look, fingers tapping against his papers.

Bull let out a short breath, “That’s what he is, an Incubus. Some kind of Tevinter...sex demon...thing,” Bull growled and changed lanes, just to have something to do with his hands. “It’s possible he’s just fooling me, sure, I have no real proof he ever was the real Dorian Pavus or if he’s just using his form... but shit, Varric, I have pretty good intuition and I don’t think that’s the case.”

Varric just stared at him, but he was surprisingly unreadable. Finally he laughed a little shrilly and rubbed his forehead, “Alright, whatever you say, Tiny. Not really my place to call you crazy, and I’ve heard crazier. You should listen to some of Resheri’s stories some time, that’ll really make your head spin.”

“I got enough craziness right now,” said Bull, relaxing minutely when Varric didn’t challenge him. Wasn’t clear if he believed him, but he at least didn’t care to argue. “So where did he go when he went South?” he asked, trying steer the conversation back in the right direction.

“Pretty sure she did drop a name in here somewhere,” said Varric. His lap was now covered in a mess of papers, some of them nearly slipping onto the floor before he caught them with a loud slap of his palm. Bull ground his molars together as he waited in tenuous silence. “Okay found the last two emails where Dorian is mentioned, and this where we get to the whole 'Dorian Pavus is dead' bit.”

“Fuckin' finally,” Bull muttered between clenched teeth.

“ _Dorian sent me another message, says he's staying with his old mentor Alexius-_ HOLY SHIT TINY!” Varric nearly choked on his seat belt as Iron Bull slammed his foot on the brake, forcing a truck to swerve around them just to keep from crunching into him. The driver was swearing as he drove off but Bull only had eyes for Varric.

“Did you just say 'Alexius'!?” Bull snapped, ignoring every car that honked and drove around him as he idled in the middle of the road.

“Yeah, do you know him?” Varric was rubbing his neck where the belt had tightened, looking particularly disgruntled. “You didn't even hear the rest,” he cleared his throat.

“Stop reading them verbatim just get to the point!” Bull growled.

“Okay okay! Jeeze! Mae says Dorian is staying with Alexius. Last relevant email she's broke up because Alexius sent her a message saying Dorian got sick and died! There! That's all I know! Now can you pull over or start driving before we get rear-ended?” Varric stuffed all his papers back into his manila folder.

“Yeah... shit, sorry,” Bull muttered, shooting Varric an apologetic glance as he pulled over to the side of the road and shut the car off. He sighed, dropping his head against the wheel as he tried to put everything together. Alexius. Just a last name but not a common one. He wasn't so stupid as to assume Dorian had run to some other 'Vint named Alexius. All this time and the one person he should have looked to was right under his nose.

Varric was silent as cars rushed past them. Iron Bull felt like he had even more questions than he'd started with. He couldn't go rushing to Alexius to get any of them answered either, he had no way of knowing if he could trust him. A warm hand rested on his arm, Varric leaning over with a crooked smile on his face. “Hey Tiny, you know you could get all this information from the source?”

“What do you mean?” Bull grunted.

“Well, why don't we give Mae a call and see what she has to say?” Varric pulled out his phone.

Iron Bull felt a burst of hope in his chest, and the overwhelming urge to haul Varric into a spine-cracking hug. He managed to restrain himself, barely. Varric speed dialed and put the phone on speaker, both of them waiting as ringing filled the cab. One, two, three, four, it rang until Bull was worried there wouldn't be an answer. Finally there was a click a bleary, “Hello?”

"Mae!" said Varric cheerily.

" _ Kaffas _ , Varric, do you know what time it is?" Mae had a deep, smokey voice. Something that would fit right in in a lounge somewhere.

"Well, it's 8:00 AM here so..."

" _ Vishante Kaffas _ , Varric it's four in the morning! What could you possibly want this early!" Iron Bull smiled weakly, he could see a woman like that getting along swell with Dorian.

"Actually, ma'am," Bull chimed in, "it's pretty important. It's about Dorian Pavus."

Heavy silence on the line. Bull would have thought she'd hung up except for the very soft breathing. Finally she said, voice cold, "Who are you and what do you care about Dorian Pavus?"

"He's a friend," said Varric, tone placating. "Look, I wouldn't call you this early if it wasn't important. Hell, I wouldn't be awake this early if it wasn't important. Last night a guy saying his name was Dorian Pavus showed up to my book signing, with Iron Bull here."

An intake of breath from the speaker, and then Mae whispered, "What did he look like?"

"He's about 6'3"," said Bull, throat suspiciously tight, "Dark skin, black hair, shaved sideburns, um, a little mole just to the side and below his right eye. A curled mustache."

"Fuck that's him, that's exactly him!" Mae practically sobbed, "is he there? Can I talk to him?"

Iron Bull shared a look with Varric. "It's not...that simple," he said slowly.

Mae's voice was cold once more, "Explain. Now."

That was Bull's queue. He took a deep breath and then launched into everything he knew, and everything he'd just put together. Dorian, if this was the real Dorian, was now an Incubus. Had been for a few years, though Bull couldn't place the exact time. Alexius was still around and taught at the University Bull was working at as a roofer. He had no proof connecting Dorian's current state and Alexius.

"That son of a bitch," Mae said, voice tight, "he called me and told me Dorian died after being homeless for so long. Said he caught a sickness and perished." There was a muffled sob, as if the memory was too painful to even talk about. A second later and Mae's voice was even again, Bull had the utmost respect for her at this point. "Alexius is well versed in ancient and theoretical magics. If anyone could... but why... what would he gain?"

"Dorian admitted that the energy he gathers doesn’t just go to him," said Iron Bull.

Mae was silent for a time, they could only hear slight rustling as she shifted around on the bed. "Alexius left Tevinter with his son about five years ago," she finally said slowly, as if trying to parse something out.

"Felix?" asked Bull.

More silence. "You've met Felix?" asked Mae delicately, "How is he?"

"Fine, I guess," said Bull, suspicion twisting his gut, "a little bit ill, maybe. He seemed fine when I first saw him."

"Interesting," said Mae, voice brittle, "When Alexius left Tevinter with his son, Felix only had six months left to live."

"Oh," said Varric.

Iron Bull pressed his face into his hands, leaning forward until he rested against the wheel. Everything was clicking together all at once. When Dorian had run away Alexius had taken him in and forced him to become an Incubus as a last ditch attempt to save his dying son. Now Dorian collected energy which Felix used to survive. Fuck fuck fuck! Bull sat back with a loud groan, how do you fix something this entangled? He still didn't know how to  _ cure _ Dorian, he just knew what caused it now.

"Listen to me very carefully, Iron Bull," said Mae slowly, steel running through her voice. "Dorian and Felix were the best of friends since childhood, he would do anything for him... but this? This isn’t like Dorian. Dorian knows...he knows how to say goodbye. This had to be all Alexius. After all, he was growing increasingly desperate by the time he left, searching for specialists outside of Tevinter. You must speak with Felix."

"Is there anyway to, uh, reverse this kind of thing?" asked Varric curiously, he looked like he was about to start taking notes.

"I don't know," said Mae, "This sort of barbaric practice hasn't occurred since Andraste was walking among us, and it's not my specialty. You have to speak to Felix, and if you can't get anything then I must be called immediately. Have Varric give you my number."

Iron Bull didn't particularly want to speak to Felix. He had no way of knowing if he could trust Felix. Best friend or not, it seemed obvious he was complicit in some way. Who was to say he wouldn't pass on Bull's interest to his father? Shit, he wanted to hear it from Dorian himself, but he couldn't enter the Fade.

However...he did know a Fade expert, didn't he? Bull realized he'd been silent for long enough that Varric was staring at him with an eyebrow raised. "Shit, sorry, lots to take in," he grunted, "I'll call when I know something, good or bad," said Bull.

"Good," said Mae curtly.

"Hey can I write a book about-"

"No." said Bull and Mae at the same time.

When Iron Bull pulled into his driveway an hour later he felt completely drained. All he wanted to do was crawl back into bed and for just a moment forget he'd been pulled into any of this magic crap. Varric paused before getting out of the truck. "Hey, Tiny... you've got my number if you need an ear. I'll be in town for another week or so. If you need help or-"

Bull sighed, head against the wheel, "Thanks, Varric. I still don't know what I'm going to do, it's a lot to take in and I don't know shit about all this 'Vint bullshit."

"You and me both, pal," Varric slapped him on the shoulder and then slid out of the truck, walking over to his vehicle to drive off. Iron Bull could only hope that Dorian wasn't in there watching somewhere. It would lead to awkward questions. Bull finally pushed himself up and left the comfort of the cab of his truck. The house was still empty when he walked in, and Bull dropped his keys in their bowl and tromped up the stairs wearily.

He stripped down before crawling back under the sheets, long since cooled since he left them. It was Saturday, and he had nowhere else to be, might as well just sleep the day away and ponder his next move. He wondered if he spooked Alexius if he would disappear, preventing Bull from doing anything. Another reason not to speak to Felix or Alexius. 

Iron Bull drifted in and out of sleep for a couple hours. Resting on the cusp of another nap he felt a warm body slip under the covers with him, coarse fur brushing against his thighs as Dorian snuggled against him, head pillowed on his chest.

"Why are you still sleeping, _ Amatus _ ?" Dorian murmured, one arm thrown over Bull's belly.

"Hmmm," Bull hummed, refusing to open his eye as he lazily reached up to comb his fingers through Dorian's hair, feeling along the little nubs of his horns. "'S the weekend," he murmured.

Dorian was silent, for a time. Iron Bull felt his tail curl around one of his calves. "Can I stay today?" he asked, "while you sleep?"

"'Course," Bull whispered, "always."

Iron Bull didn't know if Dorian slept at all, but as he drifted in and out, Dorian never left, always a warm, welcome weight on his chest. Fuck he was in so deep, his heart was aching just to listen to him breathe. He was kind and gentle under all his bluster, and Iron Bull knew he'd do just about anything for him. His _ Kadan _ . Fuck. He refused to believe this was anyone but Dorian Pavus, no demon could fake this warmth and patience.

At some point Bull pulled himself out of his doze to find Dorian no longer laying beside him. He couldn't have left long ago, the bed was still warm with his extra body heat. Bull stretched with a groan, back popping and joints cracking as he twisted on the mattress to look at the clock. Already one in the afternoon. Bull might have gone back to bed, but his stomach growled and clenched with hunger. Time to eat first, then maybe watching TV and doing fuck all. 

He slid on his sweats and walked downstairs, the smell of food wafting up to him. He could hear someone in the kitchen swearing and banging pots and pans together. Dorian was in his kitchen, trying to cook something. He glanced over his shoulder with a guilty look as Bull stood in the doorway, as if he'd been caught doing something naughty. Iron Bull smiled sleepily, walking up behind him to wrap his arms around his waist and press a kiss to the top of his head.

"Are you making me lunch?" Bull rumbled into his hair. He could see the remains of a blackened grilled cheese sandwich in the sink.

"I'm trying," Dorian grumbled, leaning back against his chest as if he couldn't help himself. "I've never had to cook before."

"Want me to show you how?" Iron Bull grabbed the pan from the sink, putting it back onto the burner. "Come on," he murmured, hugging Dorian tightly and nipping the point of one ear, "I'll walk you through it so you can still say you made it for me."

"Fine," Dorian groused. Iron Bull guided him from behind, resting his chin on his head or bending to kiss down the back of his neck while they watched the grilled cheese cook. Dorian was concentrating fully on his task, the gears in his head turning and retaining every new skill and piece of information. It was exceptionally endearing.

By the end of it, Iron Bull had a slightly charred but delicious grilled cheese sandwich on rye. Dorian was bent over the sink doing dishes. It was all so domestic. If it weren't for the hooves and tail, Bull could almost delude himself into thinking Dorian was his boyfriend who lived with him, and this was their morning routine. When had he turned into such a sap? His inner voice, which sounded suspiciously like Krem, told him he had always been like this.

Iron Bull wolfed down his sandwich and pressed back against Dorian, pinning him against the sink, "Keep washing," he whispered against the shell of his ear. Dorian shivered against him, legs spreading just enough to say more than words ever could. Iron Bull slipped two of his buttery fingers between Dorian's lips, grinning as he sucked greedily, tongue rubbing against the pads to lick away any lingering crumbs.

All he had to do was push down his sweats just enough to free his cock, already half hard. Dorian's moan was muffled around his fingers, hands stilling in the sink. Bull growled and he hesitantly started up again, scrubbing the dirty pan slowly. When he was just hard enough he gripped the base of his cock and guided himself into Dorian's asshole, that tight, hot sleeve that was always perfect for his prick.

Dorian fell to his forearms over the sink, head hanging between his shoulders as he weakly tried to keep washing dishes as Bull fucked him over the counter, lips and teeth working over the back of his neck and shoulders. He kept his fingers in Dorian's mouth, enjoying how he whimpered and suckled at them, teeth nipping playfully only to have his tongue soothe the little pains.

It didn't last too long, Iron Bull wasn't trying to draw it out. He let his free hand snake down Dorian's torso, tugging on the rings in his nipples on the way down, then settled over his cock, stroking it in time with his sharp thrusts. Dorian moaned around Bull's fingers, back arching and tail curling enticingly. He fingered the ring that pierced through the head of Dorian's cock, tugging it as precum dripped out around it and smeared along his fingers. Dorian came, clenching like a vice around Bull's cock as his come splashed over the side of Bull's counter.

"Oh fuck," he growled lowly, fingers curling to press down on Dorian's clever tongue, other fingers cupping his jaw as he buried himself balls deep and let the pleasure of his orgasm wash over him. Dorian drew from him gently, the heat lapping about him like little waves. He was left sleepy and sated, ready to continue lazing about for the rest of the day. Bull pulled his fingers free, wiping away the drool on a nearby tea towel. Dorian turned around, hands cupping the side of his face to draw him into a slow, lazy kiss.

"Thank you, _ Amatus _ ," Dorian murmured against Bull's lips.

"It's always my pleasure, _ Kadan _ ," said Bull lowly, the back of his fingers brushing down Dorian's cheek.

" _ Kadan _ ," Dorian purred, curling the word around his tongue, "what does that mean?"

Bull rest their foreheads together, looking into Dorian's glowing golden eyes. "It means 'my heart'," he said honestly.

"Oh," Dorian breathed, eyes slipping shut. A small smiled curled his lips, and he looked perfectly content. "What a pair of fools we are."

"Hmmm, won't argue there," said Iron Bull.

For the rest of the weekend they lazed about. Sometimes they watched TV, sometimes they read. Sometimes Bull just napped on the couch with Dorian laying over top of him, eagerly reading Varric's signed books. Iron Bull wanted to savor this last moment of peace, because he knew when Monday came, everything was going to start moving too quickly, and things might change forever. He'd gotten the same kind of clench in his gut before a big battle, the inherent knowledge that the world would rock under his feet and he may not leave the field alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmm many of you suspected this already, good job! A+ it's now confirmed. Thanks to Ezno for beta'ing and Rockgaara for providing the amazing art!


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Iron Bull gets down to the wire with his investigation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loooovely illustration by [Rockgaara](http://rockgaara.tumblr.com/) as always!!

Dorian was gone by the time Iron Bull hauled himself out of bed Monday morning, even though they'd crawled in together, and he'd been tracing patterns over Bull's naked chest when he fell asleep. It was to be expected. A calm had descended over him, like dark clouds hovering over Seheron before a big storm. Whatever the week would bring, he was prepared to do what he had to. The first thing he did was pick up his phone and send out a mass text to his Chargers. Work canceled for the day. He had things to do.

A few texts from Dalish asking if something was wrong, which he quickly replied that no, nothing was wrong, he just had to work on something personal for the day. Rocky and Skinner replied with thumbs up emojis, lazy bastards. Grim and Stitches just accepted it with a simple 'ok'. Krem texted nothing back at all.

Iron Bull dressed slowly, mulling over his plan. If Alexius was the cause of Dorian's curse, and he confronted him before knowing all the information, he could end up chasing him off. Or getting himself killed. Neither of those things would help Dorian. On the other hand, waiting could lead to him missing his chance. Regardless, he needed to go to the Library, grab that weird Grimiore and translate it. If he couldn't find what he needed from that, he'd go to that elf guy, Solas. 

He had seemed more than interested in Bull's fade connection, could he use it to communicate with Dorian? Iron Bull wasn't keen on talking to Solas, he had no way of knowing if he could trust him. Solas was, after all, Alexius' colleague at the University.

Then there was his least favorite and last resort. Felix Alexius.

If all those leads exhausted themselves then he would call Mae and see if something else was possible. With that in mind he left the house and drove to the University. There was a familiar car in the parking lot when he arrived, and Bull groaned, no wonder Krem hadn't texted back. The second he stepped out of the truck, Krem practically materialized behind him.

"What are you up to?" he asked, arms crossed over his chest, "you _ never _ cancel a work day when it's not raining. Is this about all that Incubus crap you got yourself wrapped up in?"

"Krem..." Bull growled, locking up his truck, "you already did more than enough for me, it's best if you just go home."

"Why? So you can run off and lose another eye?" Krem covered one eye with his palm and gave him a smile that didn't reach beyond his lips. "You don't have another to spare, Chief."

Iron Bull sighed, pushing past him to walk towards the library. "I'm not running off half-cocked, Krem. I just have to do some research, a lot of research I guess, ask some questions. I just don't have time to cram it all in around work."

Krem was dogging his heels, stubbornly refusing to take a hint. "I know you've got a bleeding heart Chief, it's why I'll follow you to hell and back, but is this Incubus really worth all this?"

Bull slowed to a stop, students trickling around the both of them as they stood in the middle of the sidewalk. He pressed his clenched fist against his forehead. What could he say to that? A sane man would admit no, but he couldn't. When he was in Seheron he didn't expect to save everyone. Some people got the short end of the stick, and their lives were brief and miserable. They started in pain and they ended in pain. Even children weren't spared, if anything they were always the ones hit the hardest. Though it had broke his heart, Iron Bull had never told himself he had to save all of them. Sometimes your only crime was being born.

He'd seen worse crimes on the Island than a man living as an Incubus. He'd done less to help them. Bull rubbed his eye and felt a hand settle on his arm.

"Shit, you big idiot," Krem muttered, looking him in the eye, "you've got it bad."

"Yeah," Bull admitted, "Called him _ Kadan _ the other night. Krem I-"

"Moron," Krem snapped, punching him in the upper arm. "Stop trying to carry all this by yourself! Tell me how I can help!"

"Ow!" Iron Bull rubbed his arm, looking wounded, "You're so cruel, Krem!"

"And you're an empty-headed oxman," said Krem roughly, arms crossing over his chest. His stance softened somewhat, hands slipping into his pockets. "Fill me in, Chief. I'm your right-hand man, aren't I?"

"Hmph, dunno why," said Bull, voice gruff as his throat grew suspiciously tight. He ruffled Krem's hair, just because he knew it irritated him. "I'm heading to the library, I'll fill you in there." Krem slapped his hand away with a disgruntled growl, but followed him loyally. As always.

The library was surprisingly empty, but then Iron Bull supposed he'd never been there this early in the morning. Only a few dedicated students were grouped around tables, reading sleepily or lazily tapping away at the computers. Iron Bull pointed Krem in the direction of the back of the library, where they wouldn't be overheard, and walked to the front desk.

"Yes?" asked the student behind the desk, not even bothering to look up at him as he approached.

"I need to speak to the Head Librarian," said Bull, drumming his fingers on the counter.

The girl glanced up, looking a bit exasperated that she had to quit her work. "Fine, one moment," she said reluctantly, pushing away from the desk to get up and disappear into the back. Iron Bull waited patiently, idly watching a pair of dwarven girls argue quietly amongst themselves beside the stacks. When the girl returned she was followed by, shockingly, a Qunari woman. She had pure white hair tied back in a tight bun, and curling rams horns. Her posture and flinty-eyed look screamed ex-Tamassran, so Bull respectfully lowered his eye.

"Yes?" she asked, with a thick Qunlat accent, which only cemented Bull's impression that she was a Tal-Vashoth.

"I was told to come back Monday for a book that needed to get registered," said Iron Bull, tone respectful. He glanced up to see her smiling gently.

"You are a Tal-Vashoth too?" she asked, resting her palms on the counter.

"What gave it away, Ma'am?" asked Bull with a grin.

"The look of reverence in your eye," sighed the ex-Tamassran, "oh I have missed that. So, what book is it you are seeking?"

"It was an old one," said Iron Bull, looking her in the eye now that she'd acknowledged him, "a Grimoire in Ancient Tevene. I wanted to check it out on Friday, but despite finding it in the library, I was told it wasn't one of your books and it needed to be registered."

"I would remember such a book," she said curtly, "nothing fitting that description was registered in our system since Friday. Nor is it in our pile of books still to do. Such a rare book would never be kept among the stacks anyway, books like that are kept locked up for students to check out on a case by case basis, and it would never leave the library."

Iron Bull was silent, eye on the counter. Fuck. If that wasn't suspicious he didn't know what was. Did someone know he was poking around? Did Alexius know? Shit, how could he have possibly tipped him off? It was too early to jump to conclusions. "Thank you, Ma'am," he said.

"I am concerned," she said before he left, "that such a book slipped out from between our fingers. If we find it, we will be sure to find you and contact you."

Iron Bull nodded solemnly, "Yes, Ma'am." Though he didn't think that book would show up anytime soon. If ever again. All he was left with were a few copied phrases. It would have to do. He found Krem in the corner of the library, sitting on one of the stepping stools with his chin cupped in his hand, elbow resting on his knee.

"Trying to check something out?" asked Krem.

"Something that isn't here anymore," Bull grumbled, carefully lowering himself down to sit on the floor next to Krem's stool, his back against the stack. "Alright, I've learned a bunch of stuff so just sit there and keep your mouth shut until I'm done."

"You're the boss, Boss."

So Iron Bull talked quietly, head resting carefully back against the books behind him while not gouging anything with his horns. Krem, true to his word, said nothing. When Bull fell silent, Krem shifted on the stool, thumb brushing along his lower lip as he stared into space for a bit. With no desire to fill the silence, Iron Bull waited patiently for Krem's reaction.

"So," he said at last, eyes still unfocused with thought, "You're pretty sure it's this Alexius guy behind it all?"

"Fairly certain," said Bull, "just needing a bit of confirmation."

"Then what?" asked Krem, "That guy's a mage, probably used to be a Magister."

"Fuck," Bull muttered, "who isn't in Tevinter?"

"Me and all the other _ Soporati _ and slaves," Krem grinned. He rubbed his chin, "Wonder if your Dorian owned slaves."

"I think that's an argument for another day," Bull grumbled, rubbing his eye.

"Oh, I'm looking forward to that," Krem grinned wickedly. "So let's say you get your confirmation, you know Alexius is, for sure, the one behind Dorian's state and the one currently controlling him. Let's say you learn how to reverse it. Are you going to fight him? Call the police? Let me tell you right now, they won't believe a thing you're saying  _ and _ it'd be impossible to prove."

"I know that much," said Bull. "What if breaking the spell doesn't require me to confront him at all?"

"Then you'd be lucky," said Krem, "but I wouldn't count on that. What you need is a way into his house. Worst case scenario plan, you have to get in undetected."

"We're jumping ahead of ourselves," Iron Bull growled, "I'm not going to plan breaking into his house until I know I have to break into his house. I have to translate the text I managed to pull out of that book, and I gotta talk to that Solas guy. First things first," Bull handed his truck keys to Krem, "grab my Ancient Tevene textbook out of the back of the truck while I talk to Solas, I'll meet you back in the library after that."

"Sure thing, Chief, and you know if you need someone to break into a house, I've seen Grim do some crazy things with lock picks-"

"No," said Iron Bull curtly, "Do not get the others involved. I barely want you involved, Krem. This is dangerous, I won't see them hurt."

Krem's eyes narrowed, "We're your Chargers, where The Iron Bull goes, we go. You won't do this alone. I thought we already proved that."

"You did," said Bull roughly, "and I don't ever want to watch you prove it again." Risking his boys' lives for his own selfish reasons; never again. Krem couldn't be kept out, but he could at least protect the others. Thankfully, Krem ceased his arguments and left, but Bull wasn't sure this was the last time he'd hear about this.

He no longer had Solas' card, honestly it had probably ended up in the wash, but the directory pointed him in the direction of his office. Iron Bull knocked on his shut door and waited, hands slipping into the pockets of his jeans. It only took a moment before Solas was opening the door, he didn't look surprised to see Bull standing in the hallway, and stepped back without a word to let him in.

"Decided to take up my offer to study your connection to the Fade?" he asked, walking back to his desk to settle behind it.

"Sort of," said Bull, eye darting around and taking everything in. Solas' office was filled with ancient elven artifacts, and a nice chess set.

"You play?" Solas asked when he noticed the direction of Bull's gaze.

"Yeah, but not for a little while," Bull admitted, walking over to pick up one of the Magister pieces. "Used to play all the time on Seheron."

"Hmm, you are an interesting man, Iron Bull," said Solas lightly, "You should play me some time."

"Sure," said Bull, putting the piece back down and walking over to the desk. The chair didn't have any arm rests, which meant he could still sit down on it without anything digging into him. "But that's not why I came here today. I have Fade questions."

Solas' gaze was shrewd as he clasped his hands before him on the desk, "Interesting. You seemed uninterested the last time we spoke."

"There've been some new...developments," Iron Bull said slowly. "I don't dream, but I need to make a connection with the Fade, I have to speak to someone."

"Have you been communicating with a spirit outside of the Fade?" asked Solas, interest piquing as he sat up to lean over the desk a little. "Your connection is fascinating, with some spells I can properly analyze it. If it's two way, perhaps you might be the first non-mage Qunari to dream."

Some mage he didn't know casting random spells around him was the last thing Bull wanted to do, but he grit his teeth on his rejection and nodded in agreement. For Dorian, he would do this. If Solas could get him to dream, they could speak honestly, Dorian no longer tied to silence. Solas got up and walked around the desk, placing his hand on Iron Bull's forehead and muttering a spell under his breath. There was a cool wind that seemed to flow down his body, and then Solas was stepping back.

"Interesting," he said, as Bull looked over his shoulder at him, "but it is a one-way connection. This spirit you speak to, they come to you, don't they?"

"Yeah," said Bull, knuckling his forehead with frustration, "fuck I really need to talk to him."

"Spirits are without gender," said Solas.

"He's not...really a spirit," Bull admitted reluctantly. If he couldn't talk to Dorian, someone had to.

"Oh?" Solas walked back around the desk, taking his seat again, "Care to extrapolate?"

Iron Bull drummed his fingers on the desk, eye lingering on the chess set in the corner as he weighed his options. Solas had to be more trustworthy than Alexius' own son, who was probably directly benefiting from Dorian's state as an Incubus. "Can you promise what I say here won't leave the room?"

"Only if it doesn't involve harming others, or yourself, then I'm afraid I'm obligated to report it to the proper authorities," said Solas. He was honest, at least, which put Bull somewhat at ease. Never trust a man who immediately swore to keep every secret when you didn't know them.

Iron Bull took a deep breath, "Fine. I'm running out of choices, and maybe time. I've been talking to an Incubus for the last two weeks. You ever heard of an Incubus?"

Solas' eyes flashed at the word, though his expression was no less placid, "It is a term I have come across before. Though I claim no great knowledge on the subject. I know Ancient Tevinter used to warp captured elves in such a way, and use the energy gathered to cast powerful spells. It hasn't been practiced in thousands of years."

"Yeah, well, someone cast it on a human, not an elf, and a 'Vint to boot," said Bull, fingers stilling on the wood. "I have an idea who did it to him, and I want to help him, but he can't tell me anything while he's physically manifested, and I can't dream. I need someone to talk to him in the Fade."

"And now you're asking me," said Solas softly.

"If you can," Iron Bull said, "I don't know the first thing about this magic crap."

Solas smiled gently, "Yes, and you're still trying anyway. Admirable. Spirits are gentle and misunderstood, and Incubi and Succubi were much the same way. Attempting to free one from their bonds is something I'd be willing to assist with."

"Do you know how to do that?" asked Iron Bull quickly, leaning forward eagerly.

Solas shook his head, regret tinting his expression, "Unfortunately no, as I said, my knowledge of this phenomena is limited at best."

"So how do we do this?" asked Bull, shifting in his chair.

"You already have a connection with this denizen of the Fade, I will simply travel along it until I reach him. Assuming he is not manifested, I'll find him. Give me your hand, Iron Bull." Solas reached out over the desk and Bull reluctantly reached out, letting his cool fingers curl over his palm. Solas sat back in his chair, eyes slipping shut.

There was complete silence but for their breathing. Solas' was growing softer and slower, until it was barely audible at all. Then his grip went lax and fell away. He was asleep. Iron Bull slowly moved away, getting quietly to his feet. He wasn't going to sit here and watch someone sleep, he'd translate that text then come back and see what was going on. Bull left the office, the door closing behind him with a muted click.

Krem was waiting for him in the library, flipping idly through his Ancient Tevene textbook. He looked up as Bull approached, "So?"

"We'll see," said Bull, pulling out a seat and plopping down in it. "I want to translate what I got out of the book, then I'll go back and check on him. He's trying to contact Dorian himself."

"Here's your boring book," Krem shoved the text over the table, letting it slide into Bull's waiting hand. He sat back in his chair, leaning onto the back two legs and resting his feet on the edge of the table. "I still think we should tell the others," said Krem as Bull opened the textbook and pulled out his paper.

"No." Bull growled. "Has anyone ever told you you're a stubborn, unreasonable bastard?"

"Yeah, the mirror," Krem grinned, "I have a feeling you might hear the same thing."

Iron Bull couldn't help but snort into the book. While he started the arduous process of translating something far above his level, Krem lounged quietly across the table. Ten minutes in his phone went off, startling Krem so bad he nearly fell backwards in his chair. “Shit, it's Lace, I'll be right back,” he said, answering the phone and leaving the library in a hurry, to the angry shushes of everyone around them. Bull chuckled, introducing those two might be the best thing he'd done in awhile.

The second Krem was gone, a shadow fell across the table. Bull didn't look up right away, he shifted in his chair, pads of his feet solid just incase he had to make a sudden break for it. One hand slipped under the table to grip the rim, should he have to flip it. Only then did he look up. Felix Alexius stood there, hands clasped before him tightly.

“...Yes?” asked Bull lowly, narrowing his eye.

"This is going to sound weird," said Felix, he kept glancing over his shoulder as if afraid he was being watched or followed. "Do you...do you happen to know... Dorian Pavus?"

“If you’re here to intimidate me, you can’t,” Iron Bull growled coldly, gripping the edge of the table hard enough to make it creak. “Where’s your father? Is he watching?”

"No no no no!" Felix whispered. He broke off to cough into his sleeve, whole body wracked with the power of it. Tears sprang into the corners of his eyes as he swallowed down what he could, trying not to make too much noise. "You misunderstand! I want to help you! I got a call last night from a mutual, um, acquaintance! Maevaris Tilani!"

Shit... now he felt like an asshole. Bull warily backed off,. "Why should I believe that?" he muttered under his breath, pretending to get back to his work, "You benefit from this arrangement the most. You're the _ only _ one benefiting."

"Am I?" Felix whispered, pulling over Krem's vacated chair to sit right next to Bull, their shoulders brushing with the proximity. "This wasn't my idea. I was ready to die years ago, it's my Father who can't let go."

Iron Bull was doodling swirls on his paper, just to make it look like he was writing. He glanced up at Felix from the corner of his eye, lips pulled into a frown. "Alright...we'll come back to that. How did you know to talk to me? Mae doesn't know what I look like."

"I've... had my suspicions for a little while now," Felix admitted. "I saw you on the roof and the gold coin caught the sun. I have a matching one, you know. Dorian doesn't hand those out to just anyone."

" _ You _ have one?" Bull asked, eyebrow raised.

"Not for sex!" Felix hissed, "Dorian is my best friend." He changed the subject with a clearing of his throat, "Then, later in class, I could... sense him around you. I'm not magically gifted like my father and Dorian, and my late mother. But I've been alive for years because of him, it's like... a familiar scent, but a feeling."

Iron Bull hummed under his breath, "Okay, fine, so you knew I've been seeing Dorian. Then Mae told you I wanted to free him. So why should I trust you? How do I know this isn't a trap?"

"Mae trusts me," said Felix, he held up a hand before Iron Bull could scoff properly at that, "yes, I know, that's weak at best. Look, I don't know if there's anything I can do to convince you one hundred percent of my intentions. All I can tell you is, I never wanted this. I never wanted my best friend trapped and forced to harvest energy for me! I want him saved as much as you do!"

Bull tapped his fingers against the table, he could feel his heart pounding behind his ribs, and was thankful Felix couldn't hear it. Maybe he wouldn't need to translate the book, maybe he wouldn't need Solas. "Fine, how?"

Felix swallowed, eyes lowering, "Ah...I don't know."

"Fuck," Iron Bull swore, the tip of his pen ripping through his paper with his frustration. "How do you _ not know _ ?"

"If I knew I would have fixed this already!" Felix snapped. "I was hoping you'd found out!"

"I'm trying," Iron Bull pushed over the paper he had, with what little he'd salvaged from the book. He was kicking himself for not copying more. "There was this book here... A Grimoire, it had some kind of Ancient Tevene bullshit in it, I was hoping for answers."

"This is a list of ingredients," said Felix, translating seemingly without effort. "A glass vial, a litre of blood," he let out a pained noise, "hair of the victim, a dried mixture of Echinacea and Fenugreek. Well, they're called something different here but that's what they mean in modern- nevermind. Where's the book?"

"I don't know," said Iron Bull, clutching his horns in frustration, he finally had a translator and the book was nowhere to be found! "I went to have it registered and it disappeared over the weekend!"

"What did it look like?" Felix was scribbling his translations onto Bull's paper before handing it back to him. For all the good it did them. Ingredients with no instructions. Great.

Bull folded the paper up and slapped his book shut. "Black binding, the title was in Trade, it said _ A Tevinter Grimoire _ . It was old as fuck. Probably a leather binding, about this thick and this tall."

Felix coughed into his hand and then started to chew on his thumb nail, eyes narrowed in thought. "I...might have seen that book Friday evening. Just for a moment. My father was hurrying into his study with it. It'll be completely locked up there, if that's what it really was."

"Uhg," Iron Bull put his head in his hands, "If this ends with me having to break into your house I'm going to be disappointed."

That was when Krem walked back in, stuffing his phone back into his pocket. He stopped in his tracks when he spotted Felix, looking between and Bull questioningly. Iron Bull nodded subtly and Krem walked over the rest of the way, pulling a free chair away from another table to sit down on Bull's other side. "Who's this?" he asked bluntly.

"Felix Alexius," said Felix politely. 

Krem shot Bull a look and he just nodded, "Cremisius Aclassi, call me Krem. I'm his right hand man," he jerked his head toward Bull as he held out his hand for Felix to shake.

"You're Tevinter!" said Felix, taking Krem's hand, "what area?"

"Does it matter?" Krem replied, somewhat aggressively.

"No...I suppose not," Felix took back his hand, rubbing it. Krem had probably given him an overly powerful grip. "I can't get into my Father's study, but I can get you into the house and get him out of it, for a little while anyway."

"Does it have a magical spell on it or something?" asked Krem.

"Just a lot of locks," Felix admitted, "I can't pick them, and the door is too sturdy to break down."

"You know," said Krem pointedly, elbowing Bull, "we know someone who's pretty good with lock picks."

"Oof! Krem _ no _ ."

"Krem _ yes _ ."

"When will you learn how to listen to your _ Boss _ ?" Bull snarled. Krem stuck out his tongue, already pulling out his phone to send texts. "You're serious about this?" he asked, turning to Felix, "You'll help me? What will happen to you when, er, _ if _ , Dorian is freed?"

Felix smiled almost dreamily, "I suppose I'll finally die."

Iron Bull left Krem with Felix so the two could plan, he had to go check in on Solas. When he walked into the office it was still a bit dim, but Solas was awake and grimacing through a cup of tea. Bull took a seat. "How'd it go?" he asked, gripping his own knees tightly.

"Oh, I found him," said Solas. He wrinkled his nose as he took another sip of his tea. "He is furious with you, by the way."

"To be expected," Iron Bull waved that away, he'd deal with it later, "what did he say?"

"Most of it was just swearing, I won't repeat it," said Solas, lips curling into a small smile, "He did confirm it was Alexius."

"Anything else? Anything about how to reverse it?" Bull was gripping the desk now, so hard the wood creaked under his fingers.

"I have to wonder," said Solas softly, "what exactly you plan to do  _ after _ this reversal."

"How is that your business?" Iron Bull growled.

"I think it's a little bit of my business," Solas said mildly, "I did, after all, traverse the Fade in search of this modern relic of Ancient Tevinter to speak with him on your behalf. What if reversing it kills him? What if he wants nothing to do with you?"

Iron Bull usually only smoked at the bar, but right now he figured he could really use a cigarette right now. "I'll cross that bridge when it comes. He's miserable right now, if he wants to leave me that's fine. At least he'd have the power to."

"And if he dies?" asked Solas from behind the rim of his cup.

"I'll discuss it with him, maybe... maybe he'd rather be an Incubus than dead, but until I know for sure what a reversal entails I can't do anything at all." Bull rubbed the bridge of his nose, then pushed aside his eye patch to rub at the aching empty socket. Fuck. Three weeks ago he had a normal life, seemed like a different lifetime.

"So what you're saying is, you choose to go ahead regardless," said Solas, sounding pleased. "The Incubus, ah, Dorian, made mention of a glass vial that contains his mortal soul. This was between defamation of your entire line."

"Don't know 'em anyway," Bull grunted, "what about the vial? Where is it?"

"That he didn't mention, I suspect he doesn't know. Why would his captor let him know where his potential freedom was?" Solas finished his, apparently disgusting, tea and set the cup aside with a clink. "I do have a theory, however."

"Shoot," said Iron Bull, sitting back in his chair. He was in no position to throw away help.

Solas cleared his throat, "What Dorian refers to as a 'soul' is probably a misnomer. The religious insist on calling them such, but it's more of our... connection to the fade. Our spiritual self."

"Go on..." said Iron Bull, already completely lost.

"I postulate that you, Iron Bull, could never be turned into an Incubus," Solas continued, "because you have no fade connection of your own. You are, without a better way to put it, entirely solid. The person you are in the here and now is who you are at all times. Dwarves are like this too. This leaves humans and elves, mage or non-mage. Awake, they exist like everyone in the physical plain. Asleep, or if they are a mage, meditating, they can walk the fade as dreamers. This is not their physical self, it is their spirit-self."

"Why would Alexius take Dorian's, er, spirit-self?" asked Bull, trying to click together puzzle pieces he couldn't even comprehend the shape of.

Solas was rubbing his chin in thought, eyes on the ceiling, "I can only guess, but I _ think _ that separating the two is what forces Dorian to exist between the Fade and the Physical. During the separation he is... perhaps malleable. His form is twisted and he is thrust to some between space. Indeed, when I spoke to him I noticed that the Fade does not cling to _ him _ , though he exists inside it. It rather is repelled away from him, like two identical magnets. It would explain why he cannot interact with any of the demons or spirits living there."

"But if I could dream, he could talk to me?" Iron Bull asked, interested despite himself.

"If only because of your fascinating connection, the one which lead me to him in the first place, otherwise, no, he has no contact with dreamers or mages." Solas pushed himself to his feet, hands clasped behind his back as he meandered towards his chess set, eyes on the pieces when he spoke again. "The Iron Bull, we have both come to the same conclusion. Breaking the glass vial and releasing this other half of Dorian would reverse the spell."

Bull grunted, this was coming with a 'but', he could feel it lingering in the air.

"But," said Solas, turning to face him, "the consequences could be... unfortunate."

"Don't beat around the bush," Bull growled, "spit it out."

Solas sighed, "Quite frankly, I don't know if he would survive it. Who is to say the spirit would bind with him again? He may just die. Or, he may survive but his connection to the Fade could be shut off entirely. He might go insane. The magical backlash could destroy any building the vial was broken in, this is wild and ancient magic, not made to be reversed."

"Fuck!" Bull hissed, standing up to begin pacing back and forth around the office, "All this work, and in the end you think it might really kill him?!"

"As I said," Solas murmured, seemingly unphased by Bull's temper, "These are only guesses. I am merely asking you be prepared for these possibilities."

He paced more, eye on the ground as he wrestled his emotions back down. Iron Bull couldn't save everyone, could he? He slowed to a stop, turning to face the wall so he could rest his forehead against it with a long sigh. "Alright. Thank you, Solas. I should talk to him myself and see what he wants to do. If he wants me to try, even if it means death, then I'll try anyway."

"What about _ your _ life, Iron Bull?" asked Solas.

"Hey," said Bull, walking towards Solas' office door and pulling it open, "I've survived worse for less gain," he forced himself to smile over his shoulder and then left. The smile faded quickly as he stalked through the halls, students jumping out of his way when it became clear he wasn't in the mood to move in any direction but forward.

Back in the Library Krem was sitting alone. Bull gave a heavy sigh, sitting down and sagging over the top of the table.

"Shit, Chief, you alright?" asked Krem, squeezing his forearm.

"Where's Felix?" Bull asked, lifting himself up on one arm to look around.

"He ran out of here, said he didn't want his father seeing him in here with anyone. But he left behind instructions to his house and his phone number." Krem handed the folded slip of paper over to Bull, who quickly stuffed it in his pocket. "I texted the others, you know they all want to help."

Bull sighed, sitting up to rest his head in his hands, "It's not that simple Krem, this could get...explosive. If I let you and the Chargers help you have to promise me one thing, here and now."

"What?" asked Krem seriously.

"That when I tell you to leave, you do. No questions, no fighting, no arguing. I tell you all to go and then you do. You get out and you go far away and don't come back in," Bull lowered his hands to look Krem in the eye, "if you can't promise me that, then I won't accept the help, and this conversation is over, and I'll see you when the work starts up again. No hard feelings."

"Chief," said Krem lowly, eyes dark, "I promise."

Iron Bull let out a long breath, "Then that's that. I have to go home and talk to Dorian. Wait for my text. You got that address memorized?"

Krem tapped his temple with a sly smile, "How'd you know, Chief?"

"Because I know you're more trouble than you're worth," said Bull gruffly, but without any bite.

"Yeah, you too."

It was time to go home and talk to an extremely angry Incubus.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iron Bull rushes in

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One chapter left, sorry for the late update but I was driving from Florida to California on Tuesday and fuck Texas. Thank you Rockgaara for the amazing art!!

When Bull got home he was surprised to find it seemingly empty. He set his keys in their bowl and started upstairs immediately, making sure to make a lot of noise should Dorian already be up there. He wasn't, the bedroom was just as empty as the rest of the house when Iron Bull flipped on the light. He sat on the edge of the bed with a weary sigh, the entire world felt like it was resting on his shoulders. He hadn't felt this physically and mentally exhausted since Seheron. However now there was no Qun to turn to, no re-educators to get him back in line.

It was just him and his friends and complete chaos, which he could only barely force into some semblance of order. Iron Bull finally picked the gold coin off his night table and whispered Dorian's name into it.

It took so long for anything to happen that Bull was positive Dorian was ignoring him. However after many long minutes heat finally washed through the room and Dorian appeared, arms crossed over his chest and nose in the air, brow furrowed with obvious anger.

"I can't believe you!" he snarled without looking at Bull, "I specifically asked you  _ not _ to stick your nose into this!"

"Dorian..." Bull rumbled, hands itching to wrap around his waist and pull him into his lap. He refrained, if only because he was sure that would just made Dorian angrier.

“Don't you fucking speak to me you meddling ox!” Dorian yelled, starting to stomp around the room, “How dare you! I have repeatedly requested you NOT stick your broken nose into MY business and what do I find?! Some bald elf forcing his way into my space and asking questions!” Dorian let out a muffled scream of rage and kicked over Iron Bull's clothing basket, sending dirty clothes spilling over the carpet.

“You have no clue of the kind of danger you are putting yourself into!” Dorian continued, slamming his hoof into Bull's wall and leaving behind a sizable hole. Iron Bull stayed silent, waiting for Dorian to get it out of his system. “HE will kill you! What part of KILL YOU don't you understand you brainless animal!” Tears were starting to gather in the corner of his eyes, voice growing hoarse as his angry pacing began to slow. 

Iron Bull let out a small breath and finally spoke up, "Can you honestly tell me you're happy like this?"

Dorian turned to look at him, expression one of agony that practically tore Bull's heart right out of his chest. " _No_! Bull!" Dorian breathed, walking forward to throw himself on his knees between Bull's thighs, reaching out to grip his hands tightly as he stared desperately into his eye. All the rage seemed to have melted right out of him, just leaving sorrow. "I'm miserable like this...but I'm happy with you. HE would do anything to protect his son, even commit murder. I'd be happier as an Incubus, with you alive, th an a mortal man forced to watch you die."

Iron Bull reached down, tracing Dorian's bottom lip with his thumb. If he were a weaker man he would have caved then and there, but he refused to let everything settle so unevenly. "Dorian," he whispered gently, cupping the side of his face, "This whole mess isn't just about the here and now. You're happy for the moment... but do you even age? What will happen when I get old and die?"

If the flash of hurt in Dorian's eyes was anything to go by, this was a possibility he'd hadn't thought of. "Bull..."

"Shh," Bull placed his thumb over Dorian's lips, "Do you want to stay like this? I... I might know how to save you, thanks to you talking to Solas."

Tears were starting to drip down Dorian's cheeks as he looked up into Bull's face. "I... I don't want to be an Incubus. I want to be a man, I want to grow old with you, Iron Bull."

Bull let out a short huff, swallowing around the lump in his throat before continuing. Dorian might not feel the same way when he was really free. "That's not all, Dorian. Solas told me... he told me you might not survive if we try. He told me you could go mad. I don't want to make this decision for you. I'll let you think about it if-"

"No," said Dorian, reaching up to hold Bull's hand against his face. His eyes were wet, but steeled, "I would rather die or go mad, than live a thousand years like this, forced to watch everyone I love turn to dust."

“Then it's settled,” said Bull, drawing Dorian up into his lap. “I'm going to do everything in my power to free you, Dorian Pavus.”

“Before everything spirals out of control,” Dorian cupped his face in his hands, drawing him into soft kiss after soft kiss, nuzzling against his cheek with a warm sigh before kissing along his jaw. “I want one more normal day with you, Iron Bull. Leave everything else until tomorrow. Please?”

Iron Bull let his hands settle on Dorian's hips, playing idly with the gold chain. “'Course,” he rumbled, lips curling into a fond smile as Dorian nipped at his ear, “We'll make it a day to remember. The days before a battle always are.”

“Don't call it a battle!” Dorian chided, slapping his arm, he followed it up with a bite against his jaw.

Iron Bull laughed, turning his head to the side to give Dorian better access to his neck, “Sorry sorry, what should I call it? A gentle confrontation?” He smoothed his hands up and down Dorian's sides, savoring the warmth of his body and the smoothness of his skin. Even if Dorian went mad he promised to take care of him, no matter what it took. He deserved that much at least, some comfort. Iron Bull leaned in, lips tracing a lazy line along Dorian's strong shoulder, teeth and tongue nipping and lapping up marks that faded almost immediately. If Dorian were mortal, he could mark him up as much as he wanted, cover him in bites and bruises that would fade and yellow in days not seconds.

“A gentle confrontation is fine,” Dorian muttered against his neck, “if you have to call it _ something _ ....and sorry for putting a hole in your wall.” Though he didn't sound particularly regretful.

They fell silent, mouths put to better use than talking. Slowly Bull maneuvered them further onto the bed, kissing Dorian as he tossed his silk onto the floor and started pulling his shirt off of over his head. Dorian helped keep him from getting it caught in his horns in his hurry to toss it aside. “Let me,” Dorian whispered against his lips when Bull went to unzip his jeans.

Well, he wasn't going to argue with that. Bull sat against the headboard as Dorian wriggled between his legs, looking coyly up at him from under his lashes. He was gut-wrenchingly gorgeous, the eagerness in his eyes perfectly honest before he lowered them to close his teeth around the button on Bull's jeans. His tongue popped the button free and then with his lips and teeth he slowly, teasingly, pulled down the zipper. Iron Bull reached down only to peel the pants open so Dorian could lap at his cock through his boxer briefs, drool making the fabric stick to his flesh.

“Fuck,” Bull groaned, head falling back against the headboard as his prick stirred and began to harden. “Ohhh that's it, Dorian...”

Dorian said nothing, just grabbing Bull's thighs to push his legs up and apart as far as they could go. Not too far, neither the jeans, nor Bull, were terribly flexible. Dorian hadn't used his supernatural strength much since they'd met, but he was using it now to hold him effortlessly in place as he sucked down his shaft through his underwear, then nipped over his balls. His breath was hot even through the fabric, and when it was between him and Dorian's tongue, it lent everything a scratchy, sloppy feeling.

They took it slow, savoring what may be their last day together. Bull gripped Dorian's hips as he rode him nice and easy, hips rolling perfectly, ass squeezing around his cock like a fucking vice. Bull pressed his head back against the pillows with a low moan when he finally came, one hand stroking Dorian until he felt come splash over his stomach and chest, hot and messy. Dorian took nothing, there wasn't a single draw of energy. They lay together after, Dorian tracing lazy patterns against Bull's chest.

“So...when...  _ when _ this works, I can live here?” Dorian murmured, eyes still on Bull's chest.

“Yeah,” said Bull lowly, combing his fingers through Dorian's always perfect hair. “Yeah, 'course. When you're free this is your home for as long as you want it to be.”

When, not if, a deliberate change of words for both of them; but the 'if' hung heavy in the air. Unspoken but still there. Iron Bull hugged Dorian tightly against his chest, pressing a kiss against the top of his head. Whatever happened, Dorian would be taken care of. Should he die, Bull would give him a proper funeral, should he survive without his mind intact, Bull would care for him, and should everything work out... Iron Bull would give him a home.

They spent the day relaxing, Dorian reading Hard in Hightown out loud between watching shows or movies. Then that night he crawled in bed with Bull and curled up under his arm. Not that either of them could get much sleep. Bull couldn't shake the feeling that he was about to go into a battle. He shouldn't, Felix was on their side, he could make this so easy. The Chargers would be there to help. Grim could unlock the study, they could find what they were looking before and fix everything before Alexius even got home. If only he believed it would be that simple. Dorian had to of been going through similar thoughts, wondering if this was his last night alive, but since he didn't volunteer whatever was going on in his head, Iron Bull didn't pry. Some fears you had to work with alone.

Bull wasn't sure how long he slept, if at all. All he knew was at some point he opened his eye and saw Dorian staring down at him, arms crossed on Bull's chest. Those golden eyes were the only light in the room, and Bull couldn't look away.

“I'm scared,” Dorian whispered in the dark.

Bull fumbled for Dorian's hand, giving it a squeeze. He was too.

Dorian was gone when Bull opened his eye once more, light was streaming through his window. What time had he fallen asleep? What time had Dorian left? Bull rubbed his eye with a loud yawn, sitting up and resting against the headboard. Folded on his night stand was a note. Iron Bull picked it up and carefully unfolded it.

_The Iron Bull,_

_Keep this note where you found it. If things do not work out you should know that, as much as I can, I love you. I do. It must be love because I have read that love hurts and what I feel for you is agony. Even when I was a mortal man no one treated me the way you do. I thought about waking you up and changing my mind, I thought about being a coward and running from this the way I've run from everything else. Thank you for taking a chance on me, and if I see you again, I hope it's as a man, not a demon._

_Your Kadan,_

_Dorian Pavus_

Shit... Bull let out a huff, folding the note back up and setting it on his nightstand once more; where he had found it. Love was a strong word, they'd started their whirlwind romance only two weeks ago. Yet only the strongest of words only crossed his mind when he thought of Dorian. Perhaps love wasn't that strong after all, you didn't rush into the unknown for just anyone.

Considering what he was about to get himself into, the mundane act of showering and dressing seemed incongruous. He strapped on his brace carefully, he couldn't afford his leg to give out if he had to depend on on it in a scrape. By the time he was dressed and ready to go the sun was just starting to rise. He pulled out his phone and shot off a text to Felix.

_When do we head over?_

_As soon as you can, there's a slight change of plans. Meet me at wall at back of estate._

Shit that didn't sound good. Iron Bull shot back an affirmation then sent a mass text to his Chargers. It was time to go. Iron Bull scooped his keys out of their glass bowl, and hoped it wouldn't be the last time he did so. Wouldn't that be rich, surviving nearly a decade in Seheron and then dying in fucking Skyhold at the hands of his own professor. Wait, no, that sounded about right. Bull turned on his truck and started to drive.

His phone buzzed, a new text from Felix. _Don't park close to the house._

Obviously, but Iron Bull forwarded it to The Chargers just in case. The Alexius estate, for that was what it was, was far out into the country. The closest neighbor was well over a mile away down a winding road over gently rolling hills. Iron Bull saw cattle and horses grazing in the distance, small patches of trees among the tall grass. A gorgeous area, and Bull was glad they wouldn't have to deal with nosy neighbors. He noticed Krem and the boys parked on the side of the road and pulled beside them, putting his truck in park and cranking on the emergency brake before he turned it off and stepped out.

“Place is just over the hill, Chief,” said Krem, arms crossed over his chest, “what do you think this change of plans is?”

“No clue,” said Bull, rubbing his chin, “I guess we'll find out.”

“You think he's betrayed us?” asked Stitches.

“Hmmmm, probably not,” said Bull after thinking on it a moment, “but if he has we'll deal with it. Look, before we go up I need to tell you what I told Krem. No one goes unless they can swear they'll follow my orders, no matter what those orders are. No being a hero, this isn't your battle. Hell...” Bull swallowed hard, “I haven't even told you guys what we're doing this for.”

“Krem gave us a run down,” said Skinner.

“Yeah, it's true love,” Dalish crooned, eyes sparkling as she made kissing noises. She dropped the act to give Iron Bull a smirk, “Come on Chief, doesn't matter what it's for. You've never lead us wrong or let us down. We go where you go.”

“Shit guys...” Bull let out a huff. “Bring it in here, group hug!”

“No! Don't you-!” Krem tried to flee but Bull scooped him up before he could. Everyone grumbled, except Grim, who couldn't. By the time Iron Bull let them go he'd gotten control over the rush of feelings that'd gotten stuck in his throat. At times like these he knew he'd abandon the Qun in a second all over again if it was for them.

“Alright boys,” said Bull gruffly, “let's go.”

Then, as always, they followed him up the hill.

The Alexius estate was massive just from what they could see, with probably a seven foot stone wall surrounding it on all sides. A large wrought iron gate looked like it led into a long driveway. Iron Bull peaked through carefully, noticing a well cared for garden that used more decorative stones and hardy plants than actual grass. He heard the burbling of some water feature but couldn't see it from outside. Bull ducked as he lead the way around the stone wall, making sure he wasn't visible over top of it.

Waiting for them in the back was Felix, crouched with his back against the wall nervously plucking up chunks of grass. He stood up the moment he saw them, brushing off his robes, “Oh thank the Maker I thought maybe you'd changed your mind or-”

“Change of plans, what are they?” Bull asked quickly, cutting off Felix's rambling.

“Ah... I couldn't convince him to leave the house,” said Felix softly, “He's too worried about me.”

Bull swore under his breath, “Great, so now what?”

“Well, I had a thought, if you're bringing your roofing crew...” Felix pointed towards the roof of their estate, mostly flat with a few gentle slopes and rises, “Last night I very quietly put a few holes in it. Mostly in places he never goes so he wouldn't notice. All away from the study. I can claim I called The Chargers to fix it since I saw them at school and they promised to give us a good rate. I know my Father, he's going to want to go up there and look at every bit of damage.”

“So we distract him on the roof while you, Grim, and Bull get into the study?” asked Krem, sharing looks with all the others.

“If that's okay,” Felix muffled a painful sounding cough into his sleeve.

“No, yeah, that's fine,” Krem grinned crookedly, “we can really stretch it out.”

Iron Bull let out a breath of irritation, he hadn't wanted to let everyone out of his sight. If this was the only way though... “Alright,” he said lowly, “Everyone but Grim go back to the truck, my truck, and drive it up here so you look official. If we do it like this here's the rule, the second Alexius leaves the roof, you all leave too. I mean it. Leave. Drive away. If Grim isn't there-” Bull looked at Grim and Grim nodded and made a walking motion with his fingers, “-right. If Grim isn't there then he can walk far enough. I want you at least a mile away from this place.”

“Why?” asked Krem testily, “Why not wait at the bottom of the hill? We're still out of sight.”

“Because we don't know what will happen in there, and if something goes really wrong the bottom of the hill may not be far enough,” said Iron Bull, “and the second reason is because _I told you so_.” If they really had to be here putting themselves in danger, the least Iron Bull felt he could do was get them as far away as possible. If anyone got hurt because of him... no, he wasn't going to let that happen.

Krem opened his mouth to argue but shut it slowly and nodded reluctantly, “Fine,” he said unhappily. Bull clasped him on the shoulder and he managed to give him a weak smile.

“Good man, now, all of you back to the truck except Grim, let's not wait longer than we have to.” While every snuck off back down the hill, Bull turned to Felix. Beside him, Grim was getting out a well worn leather roll that held all his lock picking tools. Bull could only hope they didn't get a lot of use. Last thing he needed was one of his boys getting locked up for robbery.

Not a concern right now.

“So we're looking for the book, right?” asked Felix, voice muffled behind his sleeve.

“Yeah...” said Bull slowly, “and...well, and some kind a glass vial that's supposed to contain Dorian's, er, _essence_. Supposedly if we break it, he'll be free but...” Felix's eyebrows looked like they were going to disappear into his hairline, “but it could be explosive,” Bull finished.

“So we want to find the book and see...what? If there's another way?” asked Felix.

“That'd be preferable,” said Bull.

“Once we get into the study I should be able to track down the book. I think if he had the glass vial with Dorian's, er, essence in it-” a broken cough “-then it would be in the study too. Where better to keep it? He doesn't think I'd ever disobey him, or if I would that I couldn't get in there.” Felix smothered another cough, and Bull noticed a mist of blood before he got his sleeve up to cover it.

“Shit,” Bull rumbled, “What do you have?”

Felix grinned weakly, “Some form of Blight, completely incurable. My mother died from it and my father has worked tirelessly to keep me from the same fate. But you can't. The Blight takes all eventually. I'm fine with it. It's agony, you know, how much pain I'm in if Dorian doesn't gather enough energy to feed the healing spells embedded in my body.” Felix sighed, looking back down at the pile of ripped grass at his feet. “I don't want anyone to live like that. _I_ don't want to live like this. Everyone has a time, and mine is long past due.”

Iron Bull let out a slow breath, “Yeah, well...you're a pretty good guy, Felix. Sorry it has to end like this.”

“I'm not,” said Felix with a grin, “promise you'll take good care of Dorian?”

“'Course,” Bull gave him a one-eyed wink and was pleased when Felix laughed. That always lightened the mood.

“Enough chatter, we should get into position. I'm going to take you in the back way while Father is up front talking to your Chargers.” Felix stood up, head tilting back to look up the wall. He wasn't a particularly tall man, and Bull bent down to grab him and haul him up before he could protest about it. Felix struggled briefly in surprise, a yell cut off by a cough. “Thanks,” he coughed before he scrambled over and dropped out of sight onto the other side.

Bull turned to Grim but he was already running up the wall and vaulting over. Man, Bull didn't even _want_ to know what he got up to on the weekends. Next Bull put his hands on the wall and hoisted himself over, far less gracefully but just as effectively as Grim. Together they crouched silently as Felix pasted himself against the wall and seemed to wait for something. Iron Bull could hear the gravel driveway and knew The Chargers were driving up even if he couldn't see them.

Felix turned to them and nodded, leading the way around the back of the enormous estate. He stopped by a large window and pushed it open with a soft grunt. Grim went in first, with Iron Bull squeezing his way in after. Felix crawled in last, silently closing the window behind him. The room they were in had a rich red carpet, a large bed, and a desk covered in papers full of complex mathematical theories. Scientific and landscape posters lined the walls. Sitting on the desk, glinting in the light from the window, Bull noticed a small gold coin.

This was Felix's room.

“Follow me,” Felix whispered, curling his finger and opening his door to the hallway, “be quiet.”

“Yeah, Grim,” Bull muttered, “keep your trap shut.”

Grim grunted and the two of them followed Felix out. The inside of the house was stylish without being opulent. These were people who had been wealthy for generations and wore it comfortably. The three of them slunk silently over the rich wooden floor of the hallway. Echoing out to them Bull heard voices, but the house was so huge he couldn't tell what was being said. What he could hear was a ladder thunking and the sound of people clattering up it. It sounded Krem was being extra loud, good man.

“Alright,” Felix breathed, stopping outside a pair of thick oak doors that were taller than Bull and twice as wide. Iron Bull suddenly understood why Felix couldn't just break into them. Even Bull wasn't sure he could break through these with a sledgehammer. They were locked in two different places, a bolt above the door knob and a large, and old fashioned keyhole below.

Grim slipped ahead of them, lovingly unrolling his lock pick kit and getting to work. Iron Bull paced restlessly, ears trained on the sounds of people walking on the roof. Felix was sitting against the wall, watching Grim with interest as his picks clicked in the keyhole. That one was easy, it clicked almost immediately under Grim's surprisingly skilled touched. The bolt, however, was taking more time.

Iron Bull turned his attention on Felix fully, the sound of people on the roof falling into the background. He looked tired, but Bull didn't see a hint of fear on his face. It was a rare man that could embrace death so peacefully. “Hey kid,” said Bull, moving to sit down next to him, stretching out his bad leg with a short groan, “Tell me about the Dorian you know.”

“Hmm,” Felix hummed, resting his head back against the wall to stare at the ceiling. “We've known each other since we were kids. Halward and my Father were friends and allies in the Magisterium, we were always over at each others homes. Dorian, heh, he got us into all kinds of trouble.” Felix turned his head to grin at Bull, eyes sparkling, “and then it was always my job to get us out again.”

“Quite a pair,” Bull rumbled.

“Yeah,” Felix sighed fondly, “Dorian is... he's a better man than he'll ever admit to be. He's a bit reckless, but he's got a good heart. He loved Tevinter, was heartbroken when he left. Dorian loves with his whole body, he throws himself into things with such passion that he needs someone beside him to pull him away and make him eat or sleep. Can't tell you the number of times I've had to drag him away from research.”

That was when a loud click pulled them away from their conversation. Grim opened the door with a self-satisfied smirk, gesturing for them to enter. Iron Bull pushed himself back to his feet, walking over to slap Grim on the back, “Good man!” he growled, “Now get out of here, back the way we came. Don't get spotted from Alexius on the roof and wait by the truck at the base of the hill, got it?” Grim nodded, clasping Bull's arm briefly before he was running off down the hall. He could always be trusted to follow orders to a 'T'.

Alexius' study was enormous, and each wall was stacked from floor to ceiling with carefully shelved books. A big mahogany desk sat in the center, and to the right were tables stacked with various glass vials filled with potions and some with preserved animals. If they had had more time, Bull would have loved to poke around and get into everything, but as it was they were looking for very specific things.

“Alright I'll start at the right end of the room and you start at the left and we'll meet in the middle,” said Felix, darting to the furthest bookshelf and climbing up a nearby wheeled ladder to scan the spines of the books.

Bull didn't need a ladder to reach the top shelves so he ran one finger along the spines, eye sharp for the book. Unlike Felix he knew exactly what it looked like and he searched quickly. However he wasn't just looking for the book, he was also looking for any secret levers or cubbyholes. Doing this kind of thing brought him back to Seheron, searching for traps or war plans deep in enemy territory. Above them he strained to listen for the sounds of Krem and the others stomping around on the roof. There was no way for them to know where Bull and Felix were, so it sounded like they were stomping all over the place, sometimes right over them and sometimes in the distance. Bull could only imagine what Alexius was thinking.

“Find anything?” asked Felix a little desperately, “They won't be able to keep him up there forever!”

“Shit, no,” Bull growled. He abandoned the book shelves to instead look at the desk. The spacious drawers were locked, but he didn't need picks to get into them. One sharp jerk and the locks snapped off completely.

“Bull!” Felix gasped.

“We don't have time to make it nice,” said Bull gruffly. He tore through each drawer, finding nothing but papers and various magical knick-knacks. He growled in frustration, staring into one of the empty drawers and trying to think, if he were hiding a book, where would he put it? Somewhere his curious, very intelligent son wouldn't accidentally see it. So Bull let out a calming breath and started to knock on the bottoms of the drawers. On the last one he checked there was a muted knock, different from all the others. He ran a nail around the edge until he hit an itty bitty crack. With a wriggle of his finger the false bottom lifted, and under it was the book.

“You found it!” Felix breathed, watching from Bull's elbow, “quick, hand it to me!”

He practically snatched it out of Bull's hands as he lifted it from the drawer. Felix flipped through the book until he landed on the Incubus section. Iron Bull watched from over his shoulder as he read, both of them hunched over the desk which was now scattered with papers Bull had dumped out of the drawers. Felix's finger flew across the page, muttering to himself as he read, eyes darting back and forth.

“Ahh, the, mmm, place the slave within the circle, they should be drugged to prevent struggling. The circle should be drawn with the collected blood. A drop of your own blood on the forehead of the slave-”

A chill swept through the room, goosebumps flaring over Bull's skin. That was his first sign. The next was a freezing voice.

“What is going on here?”

Iron Bull whirled around, hand dropping for a weapon he no longer carried. Felix grabbed the book against his chest and stumbled back until he hit the shelf behind him. Alexius was framed in the doorway, and his gaze was colder than a glacier. Bull tensed, one hand coming up to rest on Felix's shoulder. Alexius looked outraged at the gesture, hands clenching into fists.

“Father,” said Felix quickly, “We can't keep doing this. I want it to end!”

Alexius looked pained, “That's why you broke into my office? And why is The Iron Bull here? Is he-” Iron Bull could see the gears turning in Alexius' head, clicking quickly into place. “Oh...” he said slowly, voice chilled, “you're the one who has been _distracting_ him.”

Felix shifted to stand in front of Bull, as if he could protect him, “I'm ready to go, Father, please-”

“Stop!” Alexius raised his hand and power fell upon them. Iron Bull growled, muscles freezing as Alexius' spell wrapped around them. He fought against the spell, heart beating like a bird, so hard he feared it would explode. As tough as he talked to Dorian, magic still freaked him out, and Alexius was already a blood mage, what if... what if he brought in demons? What if he put a demon inside him? Iron Bull tried to breathe evenly and push his clamoring fears away from the forefront of his mind and focus on what was happening now.

Felix made a run for it, book clutched tightly to his chest, but he was no match for his father's power and he was frozen in mid-run. “You think I would just let you kill yourself?!” Alexius snarled, “You think I would stand back and watch my own son die?”

“I think you need to!” Felix shot back, “This isn't right! You never even asked me if I wanted this!”

Alexius walked forward, wrenching the book away from Felix, holding it above his head. All the answers they still hadn't found were in that book. “Sometimes we have to make choices for the people we love,” he said coldly, and then the book burst into flames. Iron Bull roared, lurching against the magic as the fire consumed the book, and every answer he'd needed. However his strength was no match for Alexius.

“As for you,” said Alexius, “come with me. I'm afraid you've seen too much.”

“Father- no... NO!” Felix struggled fruitlessly, but he was just as powerless as Bull. “Silence, Felix,” said Alexius, holding up his hand and slicing open the back of it. Blood slid out down his arm and then with a whisper it disappeared and Iron Bull felt a thrall overcome his muscles, against his own will he began to walk. He fought against Alexius' control, shied away from the feeling of someone else in his mind, wrapping him up and using him as a puppet. He wanted to scream but Alexius didn't allow him the use of his own throat. Bull felt betrayed by his own body. He couldn't even turn his head to look at Felix as he walked out of the room.

Alexius lead Iron Bull down the hallway, arms clasped behind his back as if he were perfectly relaxed, but Bull could see the tension in his shoulders, and a muscle twitching in his jaw. “How did you poison my son against me?” asked Alexius. He obviously didn't expect an answer because he didn't give Bull the use of his voice. “No matter, I'll take care of you and then we'll have to move again... but we'll manage.”

They walked briskly down the hallway, Iron Bull still struggling and failing to break free. If his lungs obeyed him he would be hyperventilating, this had been worst nightmare on Seheron. Alexius stopped in the front foyer, the front door wide open and letting the cheery sunshine down on the floor. Outside Bull could see a gravel path, and a large koi pond fed with a little waterfall. It all seemed so idyllic. It was here that Alexius waved his hand and the huge carpet at their feet rolled away to reveal a bright red pentagram. Iron Bull felt ice drop into his belly at the realization of what it was.

“Dorian!” Alexius barked.

A vortex whirled to life with a high pitched scream, and if Bull had the power to wince he would have. Dorian was spat out of it, panting and shivering inside the pentagram. Bull suddenly realized what had happened to him last Saturday, Alexius had called him away, and he was forced to obey. Dorian shivered on the floor, wearily pushing himself up onto his hooves. He looked at Alexius first, and then saw Bull, eyes widening in horror.

“So,” said Alexius curtly before Dorian could speak, “you were plotting with this Qunari to kill Felix, were you?”

“Let him go!” Dorian cried, slamming his fists down on the invisible barrier that kept him within the boundaries of the pentagram. “It's not like that, Alexius!”

Alexius raised his hand and Iron Bull fell to his knees with a cry of pain, shuddering as his muscles all cramped at the power of Alexius' order. He sucked in several harsh breaths when he found himself suddenly in control of his throat. “You think Felix wants to live this way?” Iron Bull yelled, “You have the power to end all of this peacefully!”

“I WILL NOT SEE MY SON DIE!” Alexius screamed. He clenched his fist above his head and Iron Bull roared with pain, back arching so far he thought his spine might snap. All at once it ended and he collapsed, panting on the floor. “Why did you even do this for him?” Alexius asked coldly, forcing Iron Bull to rise once more to his feet and look him in the eye.

“Please don't hurt him,” Dorian was sobbing, nails digging into thin air, “Please, I'll do whatever you want but don't hurt him!”

“It's too late,” Alexius snapped, “You brought this to us, his death is on _your_ hands, Dorian!”

“NO!” Dorian threw himself against the barrier, but it didn't seem to respond in anyway except to knock him clean off his hooves.

“You know what really _kills_ me?” Alexius said, turning his eyes on Bull, “He _asked_ for this. No, I dare say without his research this wouldn't even have been _possible_.”

Iron Bull felt a sick lurch in his stomach, eye darting to where Dorian was pushing himself back up again. “It's not like that,” he said plaintively, “Bull...”

“Tell him,” Alexius snapped, “the truth. Let him know exactly what he's dying for.”

Dorian was silent, head hanging so Bull couldn't see his eyes. “I asked for it,” he said at last. “I found the spell and I... I told Alexius to cast it on me. Felix was about to die, he was... he was so close and I didn't want to lose my best friend.” Dorian raised his head, glaring at Alexius, “But it was only supposed to be temporary until we found another way! I don't want to stay like this! I never wanted to _stay_ like this!”

“Silence!” Alexius ordered sharply, and Dorian's teeth clacked together. “You see, Iron Bull? He asked for it and now he's grown too cowardly to continue. That's the man you're dying for. What do you say to that?”

Bull felt the thrall release him a little further. Dorian was giving him a pained look, palms pressed flat against seemingly nothing. Iron Bull tested the strength of Alexius' control, seeing how much he had miscalculated. Just enough. Without saying anything Bull moved far faster than his size seemed to allow. His fist connected with Alexius' face, knocking him clean off his feet, breaking his nose with a sickening crunch and a spray of blood. “I say I'd do it all over again,” Bull growled, bloody fist raised.

“BULL!” Dorian screamed, his only warning before Alexius' magic crashed back down on him. Pain arched through him like electricity and Bull fell to his knees, unable to even yell. He couldn't see, he couldn't breathe. Oh fuck Alexius was killing him! Iron Bull struggled against it fruitlessly, it was like punching at a brick wall, all he was doing was breaking his own bones.

Then it ended. Bull rolled onto his back with a series of harsh coughs, air burning in his lungs as he blearily opened his eye. Alexius was standing over him, and much of the blood on his face had disappeared. “I was going to give you a swift death, but now I don't think you deserve it,” he spat.

Iron Bull could see Dorian on his knees from the corner of his eye. He'd killed thousands of mages, even blood mages, but he'd never been alone while doing so. Others had sacrificed themselves and he'd always managed to never be the sacrifice himself. Bull refused to give up, he struggled to rise, growling under his breath with the effort of moving. Alexius sneered at him and one booted foot kicked him right in the face, sending him crashing back to the ground with a pained grunt. Bull could feel blood running down the back of his throat from his broken nose.

“Don't take your eyes away,” said Alexius from what sounded like a thousand miles away, “watch me, Dorian, and remember this the next time you think about trying to do anything that would endanger Felix.”

“Dorian...” Bull rolled onto his side, trying to rise as blood dripped from between his lips. He could smell blood and ozone, and knew Alexius was gathering his power. “Sorry,” he mouthed, lips curling into a wry smile. He was so much older than the boy he'd been in Seheron, guess you couldn't rush headlong into danger forever without consequences.

“ENOUGH!”

The growing power scattered like leaves in a burst of wind and left Iron Bull shivering and gasping for breath. He managed to push himself up to see Felix standing in the entrance to the hallway, a glass vial filled with something white held above his head. It didn't look like a liquid, it was like someone had bottled the morning fog that hung thick and heavy over a field before the sun burned it away.

“Felix!” Alexius took one step forward, a hand raised, only for Felix to raise the vial higher. It seemed Alexius didn't have the heart to cast a thrall over his own son, or perhaps he couldn't after spending so much on Bull, but regardless all he did was freeze in place, fingers trembling. “Felix,” said Alexius slowly, “what do you think you're doing?”

“Putting an end to this!” Felix snapped, “You can't force me to accept this any longer!” His expression broke into sorrow, tears springing into the corners of his eyes. “Please... I don't want to go like this. I want to go peacefully, not fighting you. I love you, I love Dorian, neither of you asked me if I wanted this so I don't think either of you should get a say in if I end it.”

“Felix...” Dorian murmured.

“Felix,” said Alexius stiffly, “you don't know what you're doing, you don't even know what you're holding.”

“I know it was hidden in your study,” said Felix, stubbornly refusing to back down. Iron Bull slowly started to crawl away, moving closer to Dorian's prison. Alexius either didn't notice him, or didn't care in light of Felix's rebellion.

“I have many things kept in my study,” said Alexius, clearly trying to sound nonchalant, as if Felix held nothing important, “hand it to me, Felix. Hand it to me and we'll talk.”

“Bull,” Dorian whispered as Bull finally managed to stumble to his feet, Dorian's pentagram now between him and Alexius. “Bull run, run out of here, I never should have let you do this!”

“Not without you,” Iron Bull grit out, “never without you.”

“FELIX!” Alexius yelled, making Bull jump lightly, hissing as residual pain ran through his body. “Felix!” his voice broke, cracking with sorrow, “Felix don't! I only ever wanted to save you! Don't make me say goodbye.”

“I'm sorry,” Felix said, and Bull could see tears dripping down his face. His arm was wavering, and Iron Bull feared he was about to give in. “I'm so sorry, Father. I love you, but it's time for me to go.” Then as hard as he could he threw the vial on the floor. There was a roar and then a concussive blast so powerful it knock Bull clean off his feet and threw him across the floor until he slid to a stop against the wall beside the open front door. Heat was everywhere, his ears were ringing and he couldn't seemed to get his hands under him to push himself up.

Somewhere there was screaming, high pitched endless screaming. Bull had heard men under torture scream like that. Someone was wailing, a different kind of agony. He slowly, weakly, pushed himself onto one elbow and saw the entire room bathed in flames, Dorian writhing and seizing in the pentagram. “Dorian!” Bull tried to yell, but it came out as a whisper. He struggled to his feet as the roof groaned, eaten away by fire.

When Dorian went limp, Bull noticed Alexius wailing on the floor, Felix's body clutched in his arms. He had to get to Dorian, he had to get him out before the fire consumed everything. At first Bull feared Dorian was dead as he struggled to his feet, forced to use the wall behind him for support. Then movement, he stirred, slowly pushing himself to his feet, swaying in place. The roof cracked loudly, worryingly. Dorian looked up and then looked down at Bull, eyes going wide in realization.

The roof was collapsing.

“DORIAN!” Iron Bull made a run for it, and even as he did he knew he would be too slow. Burning hot debris was falling around him, some of it on him. Dorian raised his hands, a look of regret on his face. Iron Bull didn't have a chance to yell at him before a force blast hit him in the chest. Iron Bull was blasted backwards. He slammed through the open doors, horn clipping one of them hard enough to send the tip spinning away. Bull hit the ground and then tumbled and slid until he crashed into the koi pond, sending several startled fish darting away.

Even with darkness encroaching on the edge of his vision, Iron Bull forced himself to break the surface of the water with a gasp, struggling to crawl out. “No...Dorian... Dorian... _Kadan_...” The front of the house had collapsed completely, and the inferno was only growing hotter, spreading through the house. Iron Bull only managed to crawl half out of the koi pond before his injuries caught up with him and he passed out, one arm reaching out as if hoping Dorian was still there to take it.

“Shit good thing we didn't actually...away...Dalish...spell...”

Iron Bull couldn't tell who was talking, but he felt magic, familiar magic, wrap around him and lift him out of the dirt.

“I'm calling....fire....”

“Good...go....take... hospi...”

Bull went under once more and knew only silence.

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

“Uhhg...” his whole body ached, but the pain was distant, as if it were happening to someone else. The first thing he noticed was the sound of a heart monitor, the next the feeling of the hospital bed under him.

“He's awake?”

“Chief? You with us?”

Iron Bull slowly opened his eye, squinting at the bright light situated right above his bed. The Chargers surrounded his bed, all looking in various stages of worry. Krem was sitting right beside him, his hands clasped around one of Bull's, giving it a small squeeze. “Krem?” Bull whispered hoarsely, throat sore, “What happened?”

“Shit, that's what we want to know,” said Krem, “we were at the bottom of the hill waiting. I know you told us to get out of there but we couldn't just abandon you. Glad we didn't, or you might be dead. You had a fractured skull and one of your ribs had pierced your lung, you're lucky to be alive.”

“Dorian...” Bull tried to push himself up, but his body protested too much and he reluctantly relaxed. A healing that big always left him sore and weak, it was the payoff.

Krem looked genuinely upset, “I'm sorry Chief, the whole house was coming down, we took you and ran. Stitches could barely stabilize you. Skinner called the fire department but we figured it best if we not be there when they arrived.”

“Shit,” said Bull gruffly, swallowing around a lump in his throat. “Shit... fuck...” he reached up, pinching the bridge of his nose as he shut his eye tightly. He knew Dorian's death had been a possibility, but not like this. He'd survived the transformation, they could have had a life together. They could have... and instead Dorian had sacrificed himself to save Bull. That magic could have gone into a force shield for himself, and instead he spent his last moments shoving Bull out of harms way.

All Krem could do was squeeze his hand, and Iron Bull wished it helped more than it did.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time marches on

Iron Bull was released three days later, with strict instructions to take it easy. Krem told him he'd take control of the roof job at the University and Bull was too tired to argue. For once he'd just accept the time off he was given. He needed it. Not for the physical pain, which the healers had all but eliminated, but for the pain in his heart they couldn't do anything about. For the first time since leaving Seheron he felt old.

However life didn't stop for anyone, and The Chargers refused to let him sink into depression. Someone was always stopping by after work to keep him company. The papers had run a long story about the fire, and the University had held a memorial for Felix and Alexius. No one mourned Dorian. No one but Bull. He thought about calling Varric and telling him, but what was the point? Varric didn't really know Dorian, and Iron Bull didn't really want to talk to Mae about it. No doubt she was already getting news about the big fire and the death of Alexius and Felix. She would put two and two together.

So Iron Bull mourned alone, the gold coin seeming so much duller as it sat on his bedside table. Sometimes he held it between his fingers, but he was never so delusional as to whisper into it. There was no one on the other end. Some nights he stared at the ceiling and wondered what he could have done differently. Maybe if they'd grabbed the book and run with it they could have learned a less explosive way to release Dorian's spirit. Maybe if Bull had fought harder, maybe-

Ah, he really was getting old. He'd never wondered about maybes on Seheron. Sometimes awful things happened to good people. Bull spent his days reading the rest of Dorian's book recommendations, or looking over the note that had been left behind on his nightstand. He tried to bring himself to regret everything that had happened, but he couldn't. Dead or not, Dorian was free, Felix was free. Iron Bull had stepped in and ended something that would have left both of them feeling tortured and trapped for many years to come.

Three days into his break Solas showed up with a chessboard and they sat in his living room and played while having a back and forth about the Qun. It shouldn't have helped, but it did. Solas had noticed the tip of his horn missing and mentioned he knew someone who did great work with fabrication, and despite Bull's protests, he came back a week later with a gorgeous silver horn tip. It matched his eye-patch, he was amused to see, and the artist had etched the silver with filigree and flowers. Krem helped him rivet it onto his horn, and he felt a little more whole again.

So life continued.

Iron Bull hadn't come from his fight unscathed. He suffered from migraines now, and ran out of breath far quicker than he had before. The Healers told him that with some more time the migraines might fade, but that his lungs would always be a little weaker after the damage they had sustained. It meant that while his Chargers worked tirelessly, he kept having to take breaks to catch his breath before he passed out. No one said anything, and no one minded, but Bull wondered if he should promote Krem to Lead and take a more administrative position. Perhaps build the company.

The roofing job wrapped up at the end of summer, with Grim nailing in the last shingle. “Drinks on me, boys!” Iron Bull crowed, grinning as The Chargers whooped and hollered in reply. They gathered their tools, laughing and joking as everything was loaded into Bull's truck.

“Iron Bull!”

“Hey, Resheri!” Bull raised his hand as the Dean approached. He let The Chargers finish up on their own, walking over to meet Resheri, clasping his hand in a friendly shake. “Been a pleasure, the new roof should last you a good long while! If you have any problems don't hesitate to call.”

“I'm not worried about that,” said Resheri, “I just wanted to let you, and your workers, know not to be strangers. I know you were enrolled in the...Ancient Tevene...class,” Resheri took a deep breath, “and I may not be able to find a new professor for that, but please feel free to enroll in other things throughout the year.”

“Sure thing, Boss,” said Bull, “we'll see what happens. Might look into getting a business degree. Who knows? I'll let the boys know. Care to join us for drinks?”

Resheri laughed, “I probably shouldn't, never looks good if the Dean of a University gets drunk on a weekday.”

“Got it, I'll invite you on a weekend,” Bull gave him a one-eyed wink.

“Chief, we're ready to go!” Krem yelled, already sitting in the passenger seat.

Dalish and Skinner were banging rhythmically on the roof of the car yelling, “DRINKS! DRINKS! DRINKS! DRINKS!”

“Mmm I'd better go before they put dents in my truck,” said Bull. He pulled himself into the driver's seat, waving goodbye as all of them drove away from the University for the last time. At least as a roofing company.

Iron Bull didn't drink much at the bar, but he shelled out a small fortune for The Chargers. He'd found alcohol triggered his migraines, and with his lungs all busted up he'd been told not to smoke anymore so that took some of the fun out of drinking. Still they laughed and joked and played bar games until the bartender kicked them all out so the place could close up.

“Night's still young!” Krem yelled, “More drinks at my place!”

Iron Bull chuckled, slapping him on the back, “Count me out, and the lot of you, take a taxi for fucksake.”

“Yes sir,” Dalish slurred, giving him a sloppy salute.

Yeah, they'd be alright, Bull thought fondly. He drove home alone, watching the moon get blotted out by thick, rolling storm clouds. Perhaps the first of the fall storms, or maybe one of the last summer ones. He saw a flash of lightening and heard the roll of thunder. A summer storm, then. By the time he pulled into his driveway the rain had started, falling in big fat drops onto his gravel walkway as he hurried to his front door.

The thick atmosphere was giving him the beginnings of a migraine. Bull had planned to stay up a little to read but his head was starting to hurt too much. So instead he downed a glass of water with some, mostly useless, pain pills, and went to bed. That night he remembered. Not the storm drenched shores of Seheron, red with blood; but Dorian sitting in his reading nook and watching the rain trickle down the glass.

Bull woke up to the sound of the doorbell, shattering his peaceful memory. Rain pounded against the glass of his bedroom window, wind howling like a wounded animal. His doorbell rang again and Bull grumbled, sliding out of bed with a sleepy yawn. He threw on a pair of sweats and headed downstairs, figuring he could give this person a piece of his mind. It was way too fucking early to be ringing anyone's doorbell.

The sound of the storm intensified the moment he wrenched the door open, wind blasting rain into his face. He squinted at the figure standing, soaking wet, on his doorstep. With a flash of lightening, Iron Bull sucked in a harsh breath, eye going wide. Dorian. Iron Bull fumbled for the light in the hallway, turning it on so golden light could spill over the doorstep, chasing away the darkness of the storm and lighting up Dorian's face.

“What the fuck,” Bull wheezed, falling against the wall before his bad leg could give out from under him. “I watched a fucking roof fall on your head!”

“Bull!” Dorian took a step inside, shutting the door behind him to lean against it, looking nervous. Without the wind and the rain, Bull finally noticed Dorian's scars. He hadn't survived unscathed either. Dorian's right eye was a milky, unseeing white and surround by burn scars that trailed down his jaw to splay at the column of his neck and disappear into the collar of his dripping shirt. You could always tell how bad a wound had been by how much the Healing couldn't fix.

“What happened?” Bull whispered, pushing himself off the wall to walk towards Dorian, cupping his face gently, thumb brushing along the rough scars on his temple. His hair was just growing back, a dark black stubble that would never return wherever the burn scars remained. “I thought you dead... it's been months why didn't you contact me?! Dorian...” Iron Bull choked, biting down on his bottom lip.

“I couldn't,” Dorian said, tears gathering in his eye, “then I could but I was scared. I was afraid you wouldn't... you wouldn't feel the same way after seeing me.”

“Shit,” Bull choked out, bending down to press their foreheads together, “ _Kadan_ , you're so handsome still. Scars just make a man look dashing.” Iron Bull wrapped his arms around Dorian, hauling him into a tight hug as feelings crashed over him, overwhelming in their intensity. He'd thought he'd lost Dorian forever, and here he was soaking wet in his hallway, scarred and terrified but _alive_. Dorian returned the hug as best he could, but his great strength had faded, he was only human now.

“Tell me what happened,” said Bull gruffly, pulling back to look into Dorian's face. His eye was a beautiful grey now, no longer gold and glowing, it reminded Bull of a winter morning. He had a smattering of freckles over his nose and along the bits of his shoulder that Bull could see. Tiny little imperfections that he wanted to kiss and memorize.

“It was Alexius that saved me,” Dorian said, wiping the tears away from his eye with the palm of his hand. I managed to cast a small shield but he threw himself over top of me and that's what kept me from dying. Maybe he had a change of heart... I don't know. Can't really ask him,” Dorian sniffed. “I blacked out and when I came to I was in the hospital covered in bandages. It took weeks before I was stabilized...and...well...” Dorian gestured to his blind eye and the scars that crawled down his neck, “they couldn't... they couldn't fix everything.”

“What kept you from seeing me for so long?” Bull breathed, “Where have you been staying?”

Dorian snorted without humor, “Jail, mostly. I was the only person alive at the fire and they suspected me of arson. Once they figured out I was Dorian Pavus and that there was a bounty on me for my safe return to Tevinter, my father was contacted.” Dorian let out a shuddering breath, slowly leaning forward until his cheek was pressed against Bull's chest, lips brushing his collarbone. “So then I thought I only had two options, return to Tevinter with my father or be convicted of arson and go to prison.”

“Oh fuck, _Kadan_ ,” said Bull, wondering if things might have been different if he'd been strong enough to remain awake, to dig Dorian out of the rubble and...but no, he had barely survived himself. He brushed his hand over the stubble on Dorian's scalp, cupping the back of his head. “What happened?”

“My Father got me released, scary to think he has connections this far South, but that's a Pavus for you. From there I had no home and no friends... and I was... I was terrified of seeing you again. It had been months and I thought, maybe, it'd be better if you thought me dead, if you remembered me without all these...fucking scars.” Dorian's voice was thick with unshed tears. “I don't know why he didn't force me to come back, maybe he feels some guilt, maybe he's glad to wash his hands of me... maybe he's planning to come later. I don't care.” Dorian wrapped his arms around Bull's neck, fingers digging into his skin as he met his eye, “If the offer is still open... I'd like to move in with you, _Amatus_.”

Laughter bubbled up from his chest, “Always, _Kadan_! Always!” Bull roared, laughing and hauling Dorian off his feet to swing him around in the hall. His glass bowl was knocked off its table, shattering into hundreds of pieces all over the wood floor and he didn't even care. Dorian was laughing as well, great big sobbing laughs as if he could hardly believe this.

“You big oaf!” he said, rubbing tears from his eye. His blind eye didn't seem to cry anymore. “Oh, how I've missed you.”

“Yeah,” Bull grinned, hands resting under Dorian's thighs as he pushed him back against the door, Dorian's legs wrapping around his waist. “You're home now though, Dorian.” Their lips met in a kiss salty with tears, teeth nipping and tongues slipping out. Dorian tasted like a mortal man, but he was still just as addicting. Iron Bull wanted to memorize everything about him, to find everything that his Incubus form had chased away and kiss it. Every little mole, every freckle, every scar. All of it belonged to Dorian once more. Bull wanted to taste the salt of his skin, smell his sweat and musk, to devour him as a human man. They parted with a wet sound, a string of spit connecting them until Bull licked his lips to break it.

“Home,” Dorian echoed, hands cupping Bull's face as he smiled at him, eyes crinkling in the corners enchantingly.

“Now let's get you to bed, we have some other kinds of catching up to do,” Bull growled, pulling Dorian away from the door to start hauling him up the stairs.

“My face really doesn't bother you?” Dorian asked breathlessly, holding him tightly.

“Are you kidding? Forget shirts, we need matching eye-patches,” Bull grinned, carrying Dorian into his bedroom and throwing him down over the mattress.

“Oof! As long as they're stylish...” said Dorian, already struggling to get out of his soaking wet clothes.

“Please,” said Bull with a smirk, “I'm obviously the height of style.” He kicked off his sweats and crawled on to the bed, grabbing Dorian's shirt and ripping it in two with his bare hands as easy as breaking apart tissue.

“Oh _vishante kaffas_ I forgot how strong you are!” Dorian's face was flushing attractively, something it hadn't done when he was an Incubus.

“Then let me remind you,” Bull growled, pinning Dorian against the sheets.

There wasn't a single bit of Dorian he didn't explore. Iron Bull tied his arms to the headboard and took his time to kiss and lick over every bit of Dorian he could reach. When he finished exploring his front he flipped him onto his belly to kiss down his spine. Dorian had a smattering of dark moles on his back that hadn't been there before, a constellation of humanity. Iron Bull connected the dots with long, wet laps, laughing under his breath as Dorian squirmed and rutted against the mattress.

Bull parted Dorian's ass cheeks, still just as round and perfect, to lap against his asshole. There was no magic slick anymore, no sweet, spicy musk. Still Bull's mouth watered as he ate Dorian out, until he was dripping with spit and wailing into the sheets. Only then did Bull dig for his oil, which hadn't seen much use since Dorian ascended like a dream in his bedroom. Without his magic to help him, Iron Bull was careful this time, taking pains to go slowly as he pushed in one finger, then another.

“ _Vehendis_!” Dorian swore brokenly, “I am not some blushing virgin, fuck me!”

“You? A blushing virgin?” Iron Bull laughed and twisted his two slippery fingers, “As a _mortal man_ , however, you can't just get _fucked_ by my _big, fat_ cock whenever you want.” Dorian whimpered and Bull grinned widely, rewarding him with a crook of his fingers that sent that whimper to a wail.

“I'm going to come,” Dorian panted harshly, “Oh fuck oh f-fuck, I'm sorry I-”

“ _Don't_ apologize,” Iron Bull ordered roughly, “and come.” He finally pushed in a third finger, watching as Dorian's asshole stretched around his fingers, already a little red and puffy. Bull thought he could get addicted to the way Dorian's body reacted to stimulation again, the way he blushed and sweated, trembled and begged. Bull could raise welts and bruises and hickies now, and he couldn't wait to place each like kisses all over Dorian's skin.

Dorian muffled a yell into the sheets, but Bull could tell he'd come as his asshole clenched tightly around his fingers, stilling his hand. Bull let out a soothing noise of encouragement, free hand stroking up and down the arch of Dorian's back. He kept still as he wait for Dorian to stop trembling and melt against the sheets, breathing evening out.

“Want me to keep going?” asked Bull lowly, squeezing Dorian's hip.

“If you don't, I'll set you on fire,” Dorian drawled, turning his head to look at Bull from over his shoulder, lips curled in a lazy smile. He looked beautiful like this, eye glazed with pleasure and face flushed from orgasm.

“Well we don't want that,” said Bull warmly. He pulled his fingers free, taking a moment to slick his cock and line it up against Dorian's asshole. He pushed in slowly, moaning as he felt the clench of his asshole. Now this was a feeling that hadn't changed. Dorian had to be sensitive, but he didn't complain as Bull fucked him. Instead he moaned against the sheets, limp and pliant under Bull's hands.

“I've missed you so much,” Dorian moaned between thrusts, arms straining against the ropes tying him to the headboard. “Please please please, oh fuck, please Bull let me... let hold you... ffffuckkk!”

Iron Bull swore, stomach clenching at the gut-wrenching need laced in Dorian's voice. He pulled out, ignoring Dorian's little whine, so he could lean forward and untie the ropes around his wrists. Dorian twisted around beneath him, smiling so brightly when Bull met his eye that his heart seemed to stutter. “That better, _Kadan_?” asked Bull, resting on his elbows as he slid back into Dorian's body.

“Much,” Dorian sighed, arms wrapping tightly around Bull's shoulders.

That was how they stayed, wrapped so tightly that Iron Bull could only thrust shallowly, Dorian's legs trembling around his waist. Their lips met in kiss after kiss, noses brushing as their breath mingled. Bull's eye darted back and forth as he watched the pleasure on Dorian's face. The burns simply added new terrain. Iron Bull would never insult Dorian by calling the burns themselves beautiful, but they were his and he was beautiful with them. When Bull finally came it felt like not just a release of pleasure, but a release of the last lonely, heartbroken months. They sluffed off his shoulders as he filled Dorian with his seed, gasping against his lips.

“ _Amatus_ ,” Dorian sobbed, his nails digging into Iron Bull's shoulders, “I missed you so much. I love you.”

Iron Bull laughed, not even trying to wipe away the tears on his cheek, “Fuck, Dorian. F-fuck..I love you, _Kadan_.”

“We get to grow old together, right?” asked Dorian, hauling Bull back into another kiss.

“And everything else that comes with it,” said Bull warmly, smiling into the kiss.

They stayed in bed nearly until noon, but they didn't do much sleeping. There was too much to explore, too much to talk about. Iron Bull knew they didn't have to, after all, they had many years left together.

**THREE YEARS LATER**

“Look, you can argue with me all you want but 3000 sq ft is still gonna cost you- no- no- listen- non-negotiable-” Iron Bull looked up as he heard the front door to the house open, keys scraping in the lock and a coat rustling as it was hung up. “Call us back when you're ready to stop tripping over pots filled with water,” said Bull curtly, and hung up. The Chargers were hardly hurting for contracts.

Dorian came sashaying around the corner, lips curled in a familiar and haughty sneer, “You would not believe the day I've had!” he said, throwing himself into a chair across from Bull, arms crossed over his chest. The years had been kind to Dorian, his hair had grown back into his preferred style, but he had been hemming and hawing about letting it grow out. The burns would never go away, but Dorian didn't hide them as much as he used to. He still didn't like people drawing attention to them, but after the first year and a half he'd stopped worrying about Bull interacting with them. He looked as young as ever, fit and hale with skin darker from time in the sun.

Iron Bull grinned, gathering up his papers and pushing them into one of his file folders. “Why don't you tell me all about it?”

“As if you had a choice but to listen,” Dorian sniffed, but his sneer was softening into the gentle smile Bull loved. “I cannot understand how some of these people are getting into University. It's like my students don't even _care_ about Ancient Tevene!”

“They probably don't,” said Bull. He raised his hands as Dorian glared at him. “Or maybe they do care and you're just a shitty professor.”

Dorian's eye widened in horror. His blind eye was covered in a golden patch today, but Dorian had many different patches that went to all sorts of different outfits. “How dare you say such a thing!” he said, getting to his feet and walking over to box Bull in against his chair, “After all, I taught _you_.”

“Mmm, did you?” Iron Bull teased, reaching out to grip Dorian's hips, “Pretty sure I was a genius who didn't need much teaching.”

“Says the man who took three months to understand proper conjugation!” Dorian scoffed. They glared at each other for a second and then burst into laughter. Dorian crawled into Bull's lap, hauling him into several short, shallow kisses. “How was your day, _Amatus_? I heard the end of that phone call.”

“Pfft,” Iron Bull hugged Dorian against him, “It was fine. I miss getting up on the roof with them-” Dorian scowled at him and he had to laugh, “-I'm not saying I will, I'm just saying I miss it.”

“No migraines?” asked Dorian, cool fingers running along Bull's temple.

“Not today,” said Bull, smiling up at him.

“Good,” said Dorian, obviously trying not to fuss.

“Krem and the boys are going out drinking tonight, want to come along?” asked Bull.

“Well, someone has to keep you out of trouble,” said Dorian archly, raising his eyebrow at Bull. Unspoken: his desire to show off a new outfit he'd bought the other day--but Iron Bull knew him so well at this point it didn't need to be said for both of them to know it.

“Love you,” said Bull simply, pinching Dorian's chin to draw him into a slow, lingering kiss.

“Such a sap,” said Dorian fondly, cupping Bull's face as their lips pressed and parted, “I love you too.”

_**Fin** _

_** ** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well you know what, this whole fic has just been a great time! I love working with [Rockgaara!!!](http://rockgaara.tumblr.com/) She's an amazing artist and PLEASE pplleeeaaaseee you should go and tell her how awesome her art is because this story wouldn't be the same without her.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who kudo'd, commented, and messaged me on tumblr, your input and theories is what made this really fun for me. I read every comment even if I didn't reply.
> 
> You can find me on [tumblr](http://ohgodsalazarwhy.tumblr.com/) or [Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/Salazar?ty=h) should you wish to see more of my work! Cheers!


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